nuclear family

American  

[noo-klee-er fam-uh-lee, fam lee, nyoo-] / ˈnu kli ər ˈfæm ə li, ˈfæm li, ˈnyu- /

noun

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

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nuclear family British  

noun

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

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nuclear family Cultural  

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

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Pronunciation

See nuclear ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of nuclear family

First recorded in 1945–50

Compare meaning

How does nuclear-family compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• nuclear family vs. extended family

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From The Wall Street Journal

“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.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Los Angeles Times

The ongoing rise of single-person households, too, may chip away at a form of housing built to hold four-person nuclear families.

From Los Angeles Times