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

Growing up, my mom didn’t know any of her aunts, uncles, cousins or extended family. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2025

Worthington is survived by her husband, John; their five children (Lisa, Stephen, Jane, Molly and Nancy); and their extended family. —Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025

Kathleen Mangione is part of the extended family known for its support of Baltimore-area hospitals. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025

In a Friday, Feb. 14 Instagram post, the Dune: Part One actor, 57, showed his love and appreciation for his wife, Kathryn Boyd Brolin, 37, his four children, friends and extended family. —Kayla Grant, People.com, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1935, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for extended family

• multifamily
• nonfamily
• stepfamily
• subfamily

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