extended family

[ik-sten-did fam-uh-lee, fam lee] / ɪkˈstɛn dɪd ˈfæm ə li, ˈfæm li /

NOUN

parents, children, and relatives

Synonyms

STRONGEST

nuclear family

WEAK

binuclear family kinship group menage ménage relations

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Finn and his Danish relatives had similar physical characteristics to the UK couple - light eyes and brown hair, an extended family tree showed.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Ahmed al-Halabi, a father of two from the Dahieh area of south Beirut, fled with his extended family in the middle of the night as missiles struck nearby.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

It began as an idea that came to Herstand while he spent time staying with extended family in New Orleans to work on his book, “How to Make it in the New Music Business.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

Oregon chiropractor Joshua Wolfram paid $950 for a cabana for his extended family of nine on the family beach.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

A week after dropping the broom, I’m at Anita’s house, eat- ing dinner with the whole extended family.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau