family tree

noun

Synonyms of family treenext
1
: genealogy
2
: a genealogical diagram

Synonyms of family tree

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of family tree in a Sentence

A framed family tree hung on the wall. his family tree includes writers, musical composers, and other notables in the arts
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Eric and several other men on the family tree have tested positive for the mutation that runs through his paternal grandmother’s line. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026 The future king of Britain descends from American patriots who fought against the crown he is destined to inherit, according to a new book tracing Prince William's family tree. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026 The process of genealogy requires finding these kinds of documents for every person, in each descending generation, in order to build a family tree to the present. — Melia Patria, ABC News, 4 July 2026 The finding, combined with previous research, shifts how experts are thinking about Homo floresiensis’ spot on the family tree of human evolution. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for family tree

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of family tree was in 1763

Rhymes for family tree

See All Rhymes for family tree

Browse Nearby Words

family style
family tree
family-tree theory
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Family tree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/family%20tree. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

family tree

noun
1
: genealogy sense 1
2
: a diagram showing family relationships

More from Merriam-Webster on family tree

Nglish: Translation of family tree for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All