chosen family
Self-made kin
Chosen family refers to people you consider family not through blood or marriage but through deep bonds of affection and mutual support.
The term arose in LGBTQ+ communities where biological families often rejected members, but applies broadly to any close-knit group that functions as kin: My chosen family got me through the divorce.
Also called found family.
Confidence in another
- loyaltyFaithful commitment to another
- connectionA joining or relation
- friendshipBond of mutual affection
- acceptanceConsent to receive
intimacy · closeness · attachment · devotion · commitment · affection · rapport · understanding
Support spurring continued effort
- allyshipActive support for marginalized
- advocacyPleading for a cause
- mentorshipGuidance from experienced person
- guidanceAdvice for decisions
nurture · care · compassion · reassurance · backing · assistance · emotional support · mutual aid
Curved closed shape
- tribeSocial group sharing ancestry
- clanRelated group sharing ancestry
- collectiveJointly organized group
- networkInterconnected system
fellowship · household · commune · village · gathering · sanctuary · safe space · house
trust
Confidence in another
- loyaltyFaithful commitment to another
- connectionA joining or relation
- friendshipBond of mutual affection
acceptance · intimacy · closeness · attachment · devotion · commitment · affection · rapport · understanding · empathy
encouragement
Support spurring continued effort
- allyshipActive support for marginalized
- advocacyPleading for a cause
- mentorshipGuidance from experienced person
guidance · nurture · care · compassion · reassurance · backing · assistance · emotional support · mutual aid · solidarity
circle
Curved closed shape
- tribeSocial group sharing ancestry
- clanRelated group sharing ancestry
- collectiveJointly organized group
network · fellowship · household · commune · village · gathering · sanctuary · safe space · house · friend group
inclusion
Being made part
- acceptanceConsent to receive
- welcomeHospitable greeting offered
- homeOne's personal residence
roots · identity · refuge · security · stability · permanence · tradition · rituals · holidays · celebrations
- familymother, father, parents, siblings, parent
- supportsupport, emotional support, moral support, support group, stand by
- kinshipmother, father, sister, brother, children
- communityneighbors, neighborliness, neighborhoods, kinship, community centers
- family dramasibling rivalry, kinship, parent-child, inheritance, estrangement
- family structuresstepfamily, single parent, married couple, multigenerational, childless couple
chosen familybirth family
Relatives by blood origin
blood relatives · family of origin · blood kin · kinship · bloodline
family, choice, choose, chosen, choosing, chose, families, choices, familial