blood relative
Shared ancestry connection
A blood relative is a family member connected by biological descent rather than marriage or adoption.
Your parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are blood relatives; your spouse and in-laws are not.
The term emphasizes genetic connection: She's not just a family friend—she's a blood relative.
Also called a blood relation.
Mother or father
- childPerson before puberty
- siblingBrother or sister
- grandparentParent once removed
- grandchildOffspring's offspring
uncle · aunt · nephew · niece · cousin · great-grandparent · great-grandchild · great-uncle
Relations by blood
- kinfolkFamily members collectively
- kinBlood-connected people
- next of kinNearest living family members
- kith and kinAcquaintances and relatives
clan · tribe · extended family · nuclear family · immediate family · consanguinity · relatedness · family bond
Biological descendants produced
- progenyOne's biological descendants
- descendantPerson from earlier generations
- heirOne who receives legacy
- childPerson before puberty
grandchild · great-grandchild · posterity · issue · scion · successor · next generation · seed
Record of descent
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- family treeChart of ancestors
- dynastySuccessive family rulers
- houseResidential building
clan · lineage · descent · line · stock · strain · succession · primogeniture
Hereditary code molecule
- genesUnits of heredity
- chromosomesGene-bearing nuclear structures
- heredityGenetic trait transmission
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
genome · genotype · allele · genetic marker · genetic testing · paternity · maternity · biological parent
Predecessor in lineage
- forebearAncestral family member
- forefatherAncestor from generations past
- foremotherFemale forebear
- progenitorAncestor or originator
patriarch · matriarch · predecessor · antecedent · primogenitor · founding father · founding mother · ancestral line
parent
Mother or father
- childPerson before puberty
- siblingBrother or sister
- grandparentParent once removed
grandchild · uncle · aunt · nephew · niece · cousin · great-grandparent · great-grandchild · great-uncle · great-aunt
kindred
Relations by blood
- kinfolkFamily members collectively
- kinBlood-connected people
- next of kinNearest living family members
kith and kin · clan · tribe · extended family · nuclear family · immediate family · consanguinity · relatedness · family bond · family tree
offspring
Biological descendants produced
- progenyOne's biological descendants
- descendantPerson from earlier generations
- heirOne who receives legacy
child · grandchild · great-grandchild · posterity · issue · scion · successor · next generation · seed · lineage
pedigree
Record of descent
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- family treeChart of ancestors
- dynastySuccessive family rulers
house · clan · lineage · descent · line · stock · strain · succession · primogeniture · birthright
DNA
Hereditary code molecule
- genesUnits of heredity
- chromosomesGene-bearing nuclear structures
- heredityGenetic trait transmission
inheritance · genome · genotype · allele · genetic marker · genetic testing · paternity · maternity · biological parent · hereditary
ancestor
Predecessor in lineage
- forebearAncestral family member
- forefatherAncestor from generations past
- foremotherFemale forebear
progenitor · patriarch · matriarch · predecessor · antecedent · primogenitor · founding father · founding mother · ancestral line · roots
blood relativein-law
Spouse's family member
stepfamily · stepparent · stepchild · stepsibling · spouse
blood relativestranger
Person not yet known
complete stranger · non-relative · acquaintance · outsider · friend
blood, relation, relate, relative, relatives, relations, bloodline, bloodlines, blood relations