nuclear family

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.

But the breakdown of the nuclear family may very well be.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

The author was born into a traditional nuclear family: father Carl was an entomologist and mother Margaret a dietitian/nutritionist; her brother Harold preceded her, and sister Ruth arrived a dozen years later.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 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