nuclear family

[noo-klee-er fam-uh-lee, fam lee, nyoo-]

noun

1. a social unit composed of two parents and one or more children.

nuclear family

noun

1. sociol anthropol a primary social unit consisting of parents and their offspring Compare extended family

nuclear family

1. A type of family made up only of parents and their children. (Compare extended family.)

Pronunciation Note

See nuclear ( def. ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuclear family¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The author was born into a traditional nuclear family: father Carl was an entomologist and mother Margaret a dietitian/nutritionist; her brother Harold preceded her, and sister Ruth arrived a dozen years later.

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The nuclear family is destroyed; the crime family is falling apart.

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"Feminism has really hurt the nuclear family and has hurt women," she said, adding that she has been heavily criticised for talking openly about her beliefs.

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“I want them to see how Easy has developed and changed over the years. And that family, even though Easy’s doesn’t look like the nuclear family, is what America has always been about.”

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The 20th century saw the rise of the nuclear family, and most homes were bought and occupied by parents and their children.

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