extended family
noun
a kinship group consisting of a family nucleus and various relatives, as grandparents, usually living in one household and functioning as a larger unit.
Compare nuclear family.
(loosely) one's family conceived of as including aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, and sometimes close friends and colleagues.
Origin of extended family
First recorded in 1940–45
Words nearby extended family
British Dictionary definitions for extended family
extended family
noun
sociol anthropol
a social unit that contains the nuclear family together with blood relatives, often spanning three or more generations
Cultural definitions for extended family
extended family
A type of family in which relatives in addition to parents and children (such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) live in a single household. A nuclear family forms the core of an extended family.