kinfolk
Your extended family
Kinfolk are one's relatives—family members connected by blood or marriage.
The word has a rural or regional flavor, more common in Southern American speech: All my kinfolk live in Tennessee.
It implies an extended network beyond the immediate household.
Also spelled kinfolks.
The synonyms kin and kinsfolk share the same root.
Those connected by blood
- siblingsFellow offspring
- parentsMother and father
- childrenYoung human beings
- cousinsRelatives through shared grandparents
nephews · nieces · grandparents · grandchildren · in-laws · spouse · brood · offspring
Descent from progenitors
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- forebearsAncestral family members
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
progenitors · descendants · progeny · dynasty · forefathers · foremothers · predecessors · roots
Genetic trait transmission
- patrimonyInherited estate or legacy
- primogenitureEldest inherits all
- heirOne who receives legacy
- heirloomInherited family treasure
birthright · legacy · bequest · consanguinity · full-blooded · half-blood · biological · legitimacy
Male head of family
- matriarchFemale family leader
- elderSenior figure of authority
- head of householdFamily's chief decision-maker
- paterfamiliasMale head of family
materfamilias · chieftain · sire · dame
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
homeland · ethnicity · dialect · reunions · ancestral home · oral history · family recipes · clan gatherings
relatives
Those connected by blood
cousins · nephews · nieces · grandparents · grandchildren · in-laws · spouse · brood · offspring · household
lineage
Descent from progenitors
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- forebearsAncestral family members
ancestors · progenitors · descendants · progeny · dynasty · forefathers · foremothers · predecessors · roots · family tree
heredity
Genetic trait transmission
- patrimonyInherited estate or legacy
- primogenitureEldest inherits all
- heirOne who receives legacy
heirloom · birthright · legacy · bequest · consanguinity · full-blooded · half-blood · biological · legitimacy · disinheritance
patriarch
Male head of family
- matriarchFemale family leader
- elderSenior figure of authority
- head of householdFamily's chief decision-maker
paterfamilias · materfamilias · chieftain · sire · dame
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
ceremonies · homeland · ethnicity · dialect · reunions · ancestral home · oral history · family recipes · clan gatherings · tartan
- familymother, father, parents, siblings, parent
- peoplepeople, persons, person, individuals, humans
- relativesmother, father, sister, brother, aunt
- Family & Marriagematrimony, weddings, family life, home life, domestic life
- kinshipmother, father, sister, brother, children
- ancestryancestors, ancestor, clan, ancestry, bloodline
kinfolkstrangers
People unknown to you
outsiders · non-relatives · foreigners · aliens · acquaintances