in a family way
Carrying a baby
In a family way is a dated euphemism meaning pregnant.
The phrase treats pregnancy as a delicate condition not to be named directly, reflecting older social conventions around discussing reproduction.
She's in a family way again would have been a polite way to announce an expected child.
The expression is now largely replaced by more direct language but still appears in period fiction and among older speakers.
- expectingAwaiting a predicted outcome
- bumpSlight collision or protrusion
- knocked upSlang for impregnated
- gestationCarrying offspring in womb
- morning sicknessPregnancy-related nausea
with child · baby bump · belly · glow · nine months · blessed event · bundle of joy · parenthood · trimester · birth · conception · cradle · motherhood · midwife · stork · infancy · prenatal · fatherhood
- Euphemismspass away, passed away, passed on, expecting, with child
family, families, familial, familiar, familiarity, familiarize, familiarization, unfamiliar