nuclear family
1 antonym for nuclear family — opposites grouped by meaning.
Noun — A household made up of two parents and their dependent children, living apart from grandparents and other relatives.
Antonyms
extended family
How to use nuclear family
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
traditional nuclear family
the decline of the nuclear family
nuclear family household
Standard in sociology and journalism. It can carry a mildly conservative or nostalgic tone in political writing.
Etymology
From nuclear in its original sense of "forming a nucleus or core", from Latin nucleus "kernel" — the core unit of kin. It has nothing to do with nuclear energy, which draws on the same root by way of the atomic nucleus.
Full origin of nuclear family →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a nuclear family and an extended family?
A nuclear family is just parents and their children under one roof. An extended family adds other relatives — grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins — either living together or functioning as one close household unit.
Is a single parent with children a nuclear family?
Strictly, no: sociologists usually class that as a single-parent or lone-parent family, since the classic definition requires two parents. Some modern writers stretch the term to any parents-and-children unit, so the sense should be checked in academic use.
Why is it called nuclear?
Because nucleus means kernel or core: it is the core unit of a family, everything else being additional. The word predates the atomic sense of nuclear and carries no connection to it.
