as in extended family
the part of a family that includes only the father, mother, and children
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Recent Examples of nuclear family
The national project of maintaining the white nuclear family, which has really been taken up in the 1940s as a way for certain political groups to organize, is able to find a lot of historical references in Minnesota that fit that narrative.
—
Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Jack and Anna are a nuclear family of four before His & Hers finally reveals the true truth.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 14 Jan. 2026
Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, the surrealist musical follows one nuclear family across thousands of years and three apocalypses.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
The pronatalist perspective generally supports government intervention to encourage procreation and is rooted in a belief that modern culture has failed to celebrate the nuclear family.
—Stephanie Armour, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nuclear family
Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Jack and Anna are a nuclear family of four before His & Hers finally reveals the true truth.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 14 Jan. 2026
Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, the surrealist musical follows one nuclear family across thousands of years and three apocalypses.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
The pronatalist perspective generally supports government intervention to encourage procreation and is rooted in a belief that modern culture has failed to celebrate the nuclear family.
—Stephanie Armour, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nuclear family
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nuclear family
Noun
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The new series brings back the grown-up and extended family together for Hal and Lois's 40th wedding anniversary, and is written by the original show's creator Linwood Boomer.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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Above the detached garage, the Carriage House is described as a one-bedroom apartment with its own address, kitchen and private deck, adding options for extended family, guests, or an additional creative perch.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In November 2021, Johnson brought his blended family together for the premiere of his film Red Notice.—
Kelsie Gibson,
Peoplemag,
8 Feb. 2023
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Dietrich, 36, is now a stay-at-home mother to her blended family of four teenagers and a 17-month-old.—
Megan Leonhardt,
Fortune,
3 Jan. 2023
Noun
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The quarter-ton bears, apex predators who are revered by some Native American tribes but also feared for their attacks on livestock and sometimes humans, became locally extinct in California in 1924, the same year that the last California gray wolf was captured and killed.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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Askia Bennett is a wild man for the Young Seminole Hunters tribe.—
Will Croxton,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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About 63% said higher price at the pump is causing some financial hardship in their households, the CNN survey showed, including roughly 15% who describe the situation as severe.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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That imbalance should concern every household, regardless of income or ZIP code.—
Michael Richard,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Breakfast is included, a generous European-style buffet with eggs, cured meats, fresh fruit, house granola, muffins, and flaky pastries.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
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Horner showed investigators where to find her body, which was recovered two days later at a site along the Trinity River less than 10 miles from her father’s house, authorities have said.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Executioning was a hereditary métier, monopolized in Paris by the Sanson clan for nearly two centuries.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
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The purpose of our mountain drive this morning is to rendezvous with Fitz and the rest of the Caldwell clan and take advantage of the virgin powder now piling up around California’s Carson Pass.—
Namir Khaliq,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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John, lucky in everything, had received the enhancing admixture of dark, French Mediterranean, Bouvier blood.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
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Nearly a year later, after the completion of a blood pattern analysis that pointed to Brendan Banfield as the person who’d held the knife inside the bedroom, authorities arrested him, too.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The 10 candidates in the governor's race are Xavier Becerra, Chad Bianco, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Eric Swalwell, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Betty Yee.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Two inches in thirty minutes can overwhelm drainage systems and leave deep ponds in lower areas as water races downhill.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nuclear family.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nuclear%20family. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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