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extended family

Definition of Extended Family

(noun) A nuclear family (a couple and their children) and close relatives living in the same household or in proximity to each other, often spanning several generations.

Example of Extended Family

Extended Family Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: ex·tend·ed fam·i·ly

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /ik-stEn-duhd fAm-lee/
  • British English – /ik-stEn-did fAm-uh-lee/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ɪkˈstɛndəd ˈfæməli/
  • British English – /ɪksˈtɛndɪd ˈfæmɪli/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: extended families
  • This is a simplified definition of a vast continuum of societal and cultural practices. The variations of extended families are seemingly endless and constantly evolving.
  • This term is sometimes limited to people living in the same household.
  • Extended families are more common in preindustrial societies than industrial societies.
  • Extended families, depending on the kinship system and residence rules, stress the distinction between cross-cousins and parallel cousins.
  • While often used interchangeably with extended family, consanguine family and joint family are specific types of extended families. A consanguine family is created by blood ties instead of marital ties and the spouses share a common ancestor. A joint family is when one or more nuclear families combine to share resources, such as two siblings who move their families into the same household.
  • The increase of travel and interconnectedness due to the Internet and telecommunications has given rise to dispersed extended families or modified extended families, which are decentralized families that remain in contact with each other.

Related Quotation

Additional Information

Related Terms


Reference

Strong, Bryan, Christine DeVault, and Theodore F. Cohen. 2011. The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society. 11th ed. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Works Consulted

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Cite the Definition of Extended Family

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “extended family.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 28, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/extended-family/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

extended family. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/extended-family/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “extended family.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/extended-family/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“extended family.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/extended-family/>.