as in ancestry
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
his family tree includes writers, musical composers, and other notables in the arts
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of family tree
His mother answered, and the woman offered to examine her family tree to locate ancestral sources of misfortune.
—
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Johnnie Ray Salisbury, now 71, was linked to the case by forensic genealogy — a science that uses DNA from a family tree to narrow down a suspect.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
The book begins with a helpful family tree showing that Adolf was the fourth of six children.
—Rosemary Counter, Vanity Fair, 19 Jan. 2026
Gone are the elaborate opening credits that trace geography and family trees to guide viewers overwhelmed by exposition.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for family tree
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Johnnie Ray Salisbury, now 71, was linked to the case by forensic genealogy — a science that uses DNA from a family tree to narrow down a suspect.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
The book begins with a helpful family tree showing that Adolf was the fourth of six children.
—Rosemary Counter, Vanity Fair, 19 Jan. 2026
Gone are the elaborate opening credits that trace geography and family trees to guide viewers overwhelmed by exposition.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for family tree
Recent Examples of Synonyms for family tree
Noun
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The story, which Adeyemi got the idea for while on a trip to Brazil, became a way to explore her Nigerian-American ancestry.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
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Shaboozey, clad in jeans, a black waistcoat and hat, continued to speak candidly about his ancestry.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Sierra Nevada red fox is a distinct lineage from the common red fox known for residing in high-elevation, remote mountainous regions.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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There’s a lineage of people who’ve done this work and who are doing it now, which is so exciting to me.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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According to the sheriff’s office, the blood evidence found at the scene was submitted for genetic genealogy and linked to Steven Richard Hardy, a then-35-year-old Vietnam veteran from Texas.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
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The Calico paper, for example, relied on data from the genealogy firm Ancestry from family trees involving hundreds of millions of people going back to the 1800s.—
Andrew Joseph,
STAT,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Police are back outside Nancy and her daughter Annie's homes Tuesday, as the family anxiously awaits a return.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
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The family was seeking safety in the town of Bohodukhiv, some 60 kilometers (38 miles) west of Kharkiv, having fled their home further east just days ago, Ukrainian police said in a statement posted on Telegram.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Today, the wood stork's breeding population is estimated at between 10,000 and 14,000 nesting pairs across around 100 sites — more than twice the number of pairs and over three times the number of colonies compared to when it was listed.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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The recent success of wolves in improving their population in California to include four successful breeding pairs triggered the start of a new phase of the plan.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Bauer proposed an amendment to state that a government body shouldn’t take action to prohibit, deny, restrict or interfere with the right to marry based on race, color, ethnicity or national origin.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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Though the term has a rich history in hockey, its origins lie in cricket.—
Suzanne Nuyen,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Here was a paper with a strong pedigree that had fallen on somewhat hard times, and a suitor with funds who seemed eager to return it to steady glory.—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
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But White has long preached the process over championship pedigree to his potential players, and that doesn’t change now that Texas has a title.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Beyond the dazzling jumps, daring descents and photo finishes lie lives shaped by sacrifice and sheer determination.—
Ashlee Conour,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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Noha, who works at luxury brand LVMH, was born in Geneva of Swiss and Egyptian descent and grew up across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, while Saif is from Pakistan and works at TikTok.—
Kaitlin Menza,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Family tree.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/family%20tree. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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