incestuous
Within the family
Incestuous describes sexual relations between close family members—siblings, parents and children, or other relatives where such contact is taboo or illegal.
The word extends to relationships that are inappropriately close or insular: an incestuous network of business deals between old friends, the incestuous world of Washington politics.
The figurative sense suggests corrupt coziness where independence should exist.
Reproduction between close relatives
- hereditaryPassed through generations
- recessive genesAlleles expressed only when paired
- birth defectsAbnormalities present from delivery
- genetic disordersConditions caused by mutations
gene pool · mutations · genetic diversity · carrier · congenital · pedigree · genetic counseling · homozygosity
Not allowed
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
- illicitProhibited by law
- prohibitedOfficially not permitted
- unlawfulForbidden by statute
criminal · banned · outlawed · illegal · interdicted · proscribed · verboten · off-limits
Related people together
- siblingsFellow offspring
- relativesThose connected by blood
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- consanguinityRelatedness through shared ancestry
kinship · intermarriage · clan · dynasty · lineage · ancestry · genealogy · patriarch
Not accessible now
- exclusiveLimited to one group
- cliquishExcluding those outside one's group
- nepotismPreferring kin in hiring
- cronyismFavoring friends in appointments
self-dealing · clubby · inward-looking · parochial · tight-knit · insularity · favoritism · old boys' network
inbreeding
Reproduction between close relatives
- hereditaryPassed through generations
- recessive genesAlleles expressed only when paired
- birth defectsAbnormalities present from delivery
genetic disorders · gene pool · mutations · genetic diversity · carrier · congenital · pedigree · genetic counseling · homozygosity
forbidden
Not allowed
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
- illicitProhibited by law
- prohibitedOfficially not permitted
unlawful · criminal · banned · outlawed · illegal · interdicted · proscribed · verboten · off-limits · unsanctioned
family
Related people together
consanguinity · kinship · intermarriage · clan · dynasty · lineage · ancestry · genealogy · patriarch · matriarch
closed
Not accessible now
- exclusiveLimited to one group
- cliquishExcluding those outside one's group
- nepotismPreferring kin in hiring
cronyism · self-dealing · clubby · inward-looking · parochial · tight-knit · insularity · favoritism · old boys' network · revolving door
incestuousopen
Not closed
outward-looking · diverse · inclusive · heterogeneous · cosmopolitan