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joint family

American  

noun

  1. a type of extended family composed of parents, their children, and the children's spouses and offspring in one household.


Etymology

Origin of joint family

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

These drama kings and queens of the novel are a chameleonic joint family of disjoint motives.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

The Kesarwanis had a family business dealing in timber and lived in a joint family.

From BBC • May 12, 2024

His mother later told me that she and K.’s father hoped to live there with their sons and their wives and eventual children, as a traditional Indian joint family.

From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2022

Without exception, nuclear families headed by men got the money, undermining the joint family system and the status of women, who had previously played an important role in making key economic decisions.

From Scientific American • Mar. 25, 2020

It was no doubt an advantage under the joint family system that a widow should not claim any life-interest in her husband’s property.

From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India Volume II by Russell, R. V. (Robert Vane)