Extended family
Beyond immediate household
Extended family refers to relatives beyond the immediate household of parents and children—grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws.
The term distinguishes this broader network from the nuclear family: She grew up surrounded by extended family.
Extended family may live together, nearby, or scattered across distances while maintaining kinship bonds.
- grandparentsAncestors once removed
- auntsParents' female siblings
- unclesParents' male siblings
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- Sunday dinnerWeekly family meal ritual
holiday visits · nieces · cousins · twice removed · blood relatives · heritage · old country · in-laws · nephews · kinship terminology · communal living · siblings-in-law · support systems · stepfamily · cohabitation · caregiving roles · shared resources · godparents
Extended familynuclear family
Parents plus their offspring
immediate family · household · single-parent family · childless couple · individual
Extended familystrangers
People unknown to you
non-relatives · friends · acquaintances · colleagues · chosen family
extend, extended, extending, extends, extension, extensions, extensive, extensively, extent