in-laws
Married-into relatives
In-laws are relatives by marriage rather than blood—your spouse's parents, siblings, and extended family.
The term usually appears in compounds: mother-in-law, brother-in-law, son-in-law.
Used alone, in-laws typically means a spouse's parents: We're spending Thanksgiving with the in-laws.
The relationship is often treated humorously in jokes about difficult or meddling in-laws.
Lines marking separation
- expectationsBeliefs about future outcomes
- approvalFavorable opinion given
- interferenceUnwelcome involvement in affairs
- meddlingIntrusive interference in others' concerns
tension · acceptance · welcome · respect · criticism · advice · judgment · overbearing
Study of family descent
- kinfolkFamily members collectively
- stepfamilyHousehold joined by remarriage
- outlawsFugitives from justice
Marriage rite and feast
- spouseMarried partner
- matrimonyLegal union of spouses
- nuptialsVows and rings
- betrothalFormal marriage agreement
engagement · ceremony · vows · union · dowry · bride-price · matchmaking · conjugal
Autumn gratitude holiday
- ChristmasWinter nativity celebration
- DiwaliHindu festival of lights
- EidIslamic holy celebration
- anniversaryRecurring memorial date
hosting · get-togethers · potluck · visits · houseguests · entertaining
boundaries
Lines marking separation
- expectationsBeliefs about future outcomes
- approvalFavorable opinion given
- interferenceUnwelcome involvement in affairs
meddling · tension · acceptance · welcome · respect · criticism · advice · judgment · overbearing · supportive
genealogy
Study of family descent
- kinfolkFamily members collectively
- stepfamilyHousehold joined by remarriage
- outlawsFugitives from justice
wedding
Marriage rite and feast
betrothal · engagement · ceremony · vows · union · dowry · bride-price · matchmaking · conjugal · wedlock
Thanksgiving
Autumn gratitude holiday
anniversary · hosting · get-togethers · potluck · visits · houseguests · entertaining
- extended householdgrandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces
- familiesnuclear family, extended family, blended family, stepfamily, single-parent family
- Family Mattersgenealogy, family tree, ancestry, family history, heirlooms
- family typesnuclear family, extended family, single parent, household, multigenerational
- kinship lawconsanguinity, affinity, blood relation, blood relations, next of kin
- Korean Familyoppa, eldest son, extended family, nuclear family, household
in-lawsblood relatives
Family by birth
blood kin · birth family · flesh and blood · blood relations · family of origin