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.

At the time, Fatone was married to Kelly Baldwin, with whom he shares two children—and the two had invited several members of his extended family over for a celebration.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

The court heard how she and her extended family spent five days over Christmas 2011 at a house in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, because her ex-husband required hospital treatment and could not fly back to Nigeria.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

“Our extended family once celebrated Christmas there when everyone was too tired to cook,” she adds.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 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

This is like a large, extended family whose members help one another.

From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau