Family
n.kind, resilientwarm
Meaning 1
People joined by kinship, partnership, care, or a lasting shared home.
Reach for it when speaking inclusively about a close group responsible for one another
The family chose a weekly meal so every generation could stay connected.
Choose between these
4- everyday
relatives
biological or legal kin are specifically meant
not when Relatives can exclude partners, chosen family, and others who share a home.
- warm
loved ones
emotional closeness matters more than legal ties
not when The phrase is broader and can include close friends.
- professional
household
people living at one address are the relevant unit
not when A household may include unrelated housemates and exclude family elsewhere.
- literary
ancestry and extended relations are the focus
not when Kin can sound old-fashioned and may narrow an inclusive family message.
Meaning 2
A group linked by a common origin or defining set of features.
Reach for it when classifying related languages, plants, products, or ideas
The guide places these instruments in the same family because they share a design.
Choose between these
4- everyday
group
the shared category needs no claim of origin
not when Group is too general when inherited features connect the members.
- professional
class
a formal category within a system is intended
not when Class can imply rank or level rather than common lineage.
- professional
cluster
related items form a loose analytical set
not when Cluster suggests proximity or similarity, not a recognized family relationship.
- formal
lineage
descent from a common source is the defining link
not when It does not fit items grouped only by similar function.
Said against
3- stranger
- isolation
- unrelated
It naturally appears in
3- family member
Each family member chose a photograph for the album.
- family home
The family home became a gathering place after the move.
- language family
The language family includes several regional branches.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English noun sense: related people or a household opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- wiktionary, English noun sense: group of related things opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.