extended family

noun

: a family that includes in one household near relatives (such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles) in addition to a nuclear family

Given space, there are ways in which even larger populations than the extended family can be accommodated under one roof.

—Paul Oliver

also : an extensive group of people who are related by blood or marriage or who otherwise regard themselves as a large family

Four out of every five people who go through a first divorce remarry … . Thus it is that husbands and wives, their former partners, children and stepchildren, and a whole constellation of grandparents and other relatives are brought together in the new American extended family.

—Michael Norman

During his five years at Owen High, he turned his teams into an extended family and tried to instill in his players the same sense of self-worth that Baldwin had imparted to him years before.

—William Nack

Synonyms

• home
• house
• household
• ménage

Examples of extended family in a Sentence

their extended family includes a grandmother and widowed aunt

Recent Examples on the Web

Southern Kitchen After entertaining extended family and cooking a robust Thanksgiving dinner one short month before, Myles Moody says his mother kept the food simple on Christmas morning growing up. —The Tennessean, 27 Dec. 2024

The Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, did not join the extended family Thursday at a pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace but are expected to attend the Christmas celebrations in Norfolk. —Hannah Peart, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024

According to a recent report by industry group Cruise Line International Association, cruising is booming—and especially among extended families. —Blane Bachelor, AFAR Media, 18 Dec. 2024

Their little extended family felt like their tailgate had become something more official. —Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 14 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1935, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

extended family

noun

: a family that includes parents and children and other relatives (as grandparents, aunts, or uncles) in the same household

Medical Definition

extended family

noun

: a family that includes in one household near relatives in addition to a nuclear family