What does "family" mean?
A group of people who are closely related to one another (by blood, marriage or adoption); kin; in particular, a set of parents and their children; an immediate family.
Family
/ˈfæ.m(ɪ.)li/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A group of people who are closely related to one another (by blood, marriage or adoption); kin; in particular, a set of parents and their children; an immediate family.
- Grammar: family is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: class, kin, category, household.
- Useful contrasts: abronia, adult only, auriparus.
- Usage evidence: It has been so long since I last went to Disneyland with my family.
How to use "family"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "family" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "family" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "family" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "family" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "family" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "class" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "family", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A group of people who are closely related to one another (by blood, marriage or adoption); kin; in particular, a set of parents and their children; an immediate family. countable, uncountable
"Our family lives in town."
- 2 primary social group; parents and children wordnet
- 3 An extended family: a group of people who are related to one another by blood or marriage. countable, uncountable
- 4 people descended from a common ancestor wordnet
- 5 A nuclear family: a mother and father who are married and cohabiting and their child or children. countable, uncountable
"The cultural struggle is for the survival of family values against all manner of atheistic amorality."
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 a collection of things sharing a common attribute wordnet
- 7 Members of one's family collectively. uncountable
"I have a lot of family in Australia."
- 8 a social unit living together wordnet
- 9 A (close-knit) group of people related by blood, friendship, marriage, law, or custom, especially if they live or work together. countable, uncountable
"crime family, Mafia family"
- 10 (biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera wordnet
- 11 A (close-knit) group of people related by blood, friendship, marriage, law, or custom, especially if they live or work together.; The gay community. slang, uncountable
"[…]This is not your hallmark im Ames, Iowa. And there is “family” working there . . . no radar like gaydar, I always say."
- 12 an association of people who share common beliefs or activities wordnet
- 13 Lineage, especially honorable or noble lineage. uncountable
"Indeed, he married her for love. A whisper still goes about that she had not even 'family'; howbeit, Sir Leicester had so much family that perhaps he had enough and could dispense with any more."
- 14 a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities wordnet
- 15 Any group or aggregation of things classed together as kindred or related from possessing in common characteristics which distinguish them from other things of the same order. countable, uncountable
"Doliracetam is a drug from the racetam family."
- 16 a person having kinship with another or others wordnet
- 17 Any group or aggregation of things classed together as kindred or related from possessing in common characteristics which distinguish them from other things of the same order.; A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below order and above genus; a taxon at that rank. countable, uncountable
"Magnolias belong to the family Magnoliaceae."
- 18 Any group or aggregation of things classed together as kindred or related from possessing in common characteristics which distinguish them from other things of the same order.; A collection of sets, especially of subsets of a given set. countable
"Let #92;mathcalF be a family of subsets over S."
- 19 Any group or aggregation of things classed together as kindred or related from possessing in common characteristics which distinguish them from other things of the same order.; A group of instruments having the same basic method of tone production. countable, uncountable
"the brass family; the violin family"
- 20 Any group or aggregation of things classed together as kindred or related from possessing in common characteristics which distinguish them from other things of the same order.; A group of languages believed to have descended from the same ancestral language. countable, uncountable
"the Indo-European family"
Adjective
- 1 Suitable for children and adults. not-comparable
"It's not good for a date, it's a family restaurant."
- 2 Homosexual. not-comparable, slang
"I knew he was family when I first met him."
Example
"It has been so long since I last went to Disneyland with my family."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "family"?
Common synonyms include: class, kin, category, household, kinfolk, affiliation.
How do you use "family" in a sentence?
It has been so long since I last went to Disneyland with my family.
How do you pronounce "family"?
Pronounced /ˈfæ.m(ɪ.)li/.
Etymology
From Late Middle English famylye, from Latin familia (“a household”). Displaced native Old English hīred. Doublet of familia.