Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

nuclear family

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


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.

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025

“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 • Sep. 4, 2025

Scott recalled growing up in a working-class family in Birmingham, "in a world of soap operas and things" where TV characters were mostly in heterosexual relationships or "settled down" in a nuclear family.

From BBC • May 31, 2025

This contrasts with the Western nuclear family model, where learning is often centered around parents or teachers in a formalized school setting.

From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2024

Behind him huddled his nuclear family, a circle of two smaller females and about eighteen bucktoothed guinea pig children.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline