General words for family members

a member of your family who has a very close relationship to you, such as a parent or sister

to be older than someone, especially someone in your family

someone who is not approved of by the other members of their family or the group they belong to because they are thought to behave badly

blood (noun)

the family, nation, or group that you belong to through your parents and grandparents

blood is thicker than water ()

used for saying that family relationships are usually stronger than other types of relationships

blood relation (noun)

someone that you are related to by birth, rather than by marriage

charge (noun)

formal someone that you are responsible for and take care of

clansman (noun)

a man who is a member of a clan

clanswoman (noun)

a woman who is a member of a clan

dependant (noun)

British a child or other relative to whom you give food, money, and a home

dependent (noun)

the American spelling of dependant

elder (noun)

someone in your family or community who is older than you

the elder (adjective)

the person who is older, especially of two people in the same family

eldest (noun)

informal the oldest child in a family

extended family (noun)

a family group that includes grandparents, cousins, aunts etc

family (noun)

a group of people who are all related to one another, including dead members of the group: can be followed by a singular or plural verb

family (noun)

people who are related to you: can be followed by a singular or plural verb

family (noun)

children in a family: can be followed by a singular or plural verb

family (adjective)

suitable for a family with children

generation (noun)

all the members of a family who are of a similar age and whose parents are of a similar age

hearth and home ()

used for referring to your home and family

home (noun)

the place where your parents live and where you grew up

kin (noun)

formal all the people in your family

kindred (noun)

formal the whole of someone’s family, considered as a group

kinsman (noun)

literary a male relative

kinswoman (noun)

literary a female relative

kith and kin (noun)

old-fashioned your friends and relatives

loved one (noun)

someone who you care about very much, especially a member of your family

the man of the house (noun)

old-fashioned the man who is responsible for looking after a family

matriarch (noun)

a female leader of a family or community

menfolk (noun)

old-fashioned the men in a family or community

next of kin (noun)

your closest relative or relatives, for example your mother, father, son, or daughter. This word is used especially in official documents.

paterfamilias (noun)

formal a man who is a father and the person considered to be in charge of a family

paternal (adjective)

a paternal relative is related to you through your father

patriarch (noun)

the oldest man in a family or organization, who is respected because of this

patriarchal (adjective)

typical of a patriarch

provider (noun)

someone whose income pays for a family’s food, the place where they live, and other basic needs

relation (noun)

a member of your family

relative (noun)

a member of your family, especially one who does not live with you, for example a grandparent or cousin

rello (noun)

Australianinformal a relative

seed (noun)

an old word used in the Bible to mean all the children, grandchildren etc of a particular man

side (noun)

a part of your family, either your father’s set of relatives or your mother’s

someone’s nearest and dearest ()

someone’s family

someone’s (own) flesh and blood ()

someone’s relative

someone’s people (informal)

informal someone’s parents or their family in general

stepfamily (noun)

a family that has at least one stepparent

tribe (noun)

the children of a large family

wage-earner (noun)

a member of a family who earns money for the rest of the family

womenfolk (noun)

old-fashioned the women in a particular family, community etc

Synonyms and antonyms of General words for family members in British Thesaurus