Family vs. Relatives — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on January 1, 2024
Family often refers to people connected by blood or marriage living together, while relatives encompass a broader set of people related by blood or marriage, regardless of their living arrangements.
Difference Between Family and Relatives
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Family typically signifies a close-knit group, often living under one roof, such as parents and their children. Relatives, on the other hand, include a broader range of people, from cousins to great-aunts, regardless of their proximity or living situation.
When speaking of a nuclear family, one usually refers to parents and their children. In contrast, relatives can mean anyone from your immediate family circle to distant cousins, nieces, nephews, and in-laws.
The term family can sometimes denote emotional closeness and support. It's not uncommon for someone to consider a close friend as "family." Relatives, conversely, are definitively linked by lineage or legal ties, but there's no inherent implication of emotional closeness.
One might host a family dinner for those living in the same household or immediate family members. A reunion, however, would gather relatives from all corners, including those one might see infrequently.
Family gatherings often involve those with whom one has daily interactions, sharing life's ups and downs. When gathering with relatives, the event might include catching up with those you see less frequently, sharing news of extended family branches.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Close-knit group, often living together.
Broader set of people related by blood or marriage.
Composition
Parents and children, sometimes close friends.
Includes cousins, in-laws, nephews, and more.
Emotional Connotation
Implies emotional closeness.
No inherent implication of emotional closeness.
Common Gatherings
Dinners, immediate gatherings.
Reunions, larger get-togethers.
Proximity
Often live close or together.
Can live nearby or very distant, varying interaction levels.
Compare with Definitions
Family
Family can refer to parents and their children living together.
The Smith family lives in the house at the end of the street.
Relatives
Relatives are people connected by blood or marriage.
I met some distant relatives at the family reunion.
Family
Family can mean a group of related things or people.
The lion belongs to the cat family.
Relatives
Relatives can be ancestors or descendants.
Our grandparents and great-grandparents are our relatives.
Family
Family encompasses descendants of a common ancestor.
Their family traces back to settlers from the 1700s.
Relatives
Relatives might not share a household or close bond.
I have relatives overseas I've never met in person.
Family
A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.
Relatives
Relatives include those outside one's immediate family.
While my siblings are family, my in-laws are also relatives.
Family
The children of one of these groups
She raised a large family.
Relatives
Relatives can be immediate or extended family members.
My aunts, uncles, and cousins are all my relatives.
Family
A group of persons related by descent or marriage
My whole family, including my cousins, gets together once a year. See Usage Note at collective noun.
Relatives
Considered in comparison or relation to something else
An animal with a large brain relative to body size.
The relative quiet of the suburbs.
Family
People in the same line of descent; lineage
Comes from an old Virginia family.
Relatives
Having pertinence or relevance; connected or related
How are those remarks relative to the discussion?.
Family
(Obsolete) All the members of a household living under one roof.
Relatives
(Grammar) Referring to or qualifying an antecedent, as the pronoun who in the man who was on TV or that in the dictionary that I use.
Family
A locally independent organized crime unit, as of the Cosa Nostra.
Relatives
(Music) Having the same key signature. Used of major and minor scales and keys
A minor is the relative minor of C major.
Family
A group of like things; a class
The family of brass instruments.
Relatives
A person related to another by heredity, adoption, or marriage.
Family
A group of individuals derived from a common stock
The family of human beings.
Relatives
A species or other taxon that shares a common ancestor, usually a relatively recent ancestor, with another
The jaguar is a relative of the lion.
Family
(Biology) A taxonomic category of related organisms ranking below an order and above a genus. A family usually consists of several genera.
Relatives
(Grammar) A relative pronoun.
Family
(Linguistics) A group of languages descended from the same parent language, such as the Indo-European language family.
Relatives
Plural of relative
Family
(Mathematics) A set of functions or surfaces that can be generated by varying the parameters of a general equation.
Family
A group of elements with similar chemical properties.
Family
A vertical column in the periodic table of elements.
Family
(Physics) Any of the three generations of elementary fermions.
Family
Of or having to do with a family
Family problems.
Family
Being suitable for a family
Family movies.
Family
(countable) A group of people who are closely related to one another (by blood, marriage or adoption); kin; in particular, a set of parents and their children; an immediate family.
Our family lives in town.
This is a family restaurant, stop making out!
Family
(countable) An extended family: a group of people who are related to one another by blood or marriage.
Family
(countable) A nuclear family: a mother and father who are married and cohabiting and their child or children.
The cultural struggle is for the survival of family values against all manner of atheistic amorality.
We must preserve the family unit if we want to save civilisation!
Family
(uncountable) Members of one's family collectively.
I have a lot of family in Australia.
He has a sister, but no other family.
Family
(countable) A (close-knit) group of people related by blood, friendship, marriage, law, or custom, especially if they live or work together.
Crime family, Mafia family
This is my fraternity family at the university.
Our company is one big happy family.
Family
(uncountable) Lineage, especially honorable or noble lineage.
Family
A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below order and above genus; a taxon at that rank.
Magnolias belong to the family Magnoliaceae.
Family
(countable) Any group or aggregation of things classed together as kindred or related from possessing in common characteristics which distinguish them from other things of the same order.
Doliracetam is a drug from the racetam family.
Family
A collection of sets, especially of subsets of a given set.
Let be a family of subsets over .
Family
A group of instruments having the same basic method of tone production.
The brass family;
The violin family
Family
A group of languages believed to have descended from the same ancestral language.
The Indo-European language family;
The Afroasiatic language family
Family
Suitable for children and adults.
It's not good for a date, it's a family restaurant.
Some animated movies are not just for kids, they are family movies.
Family
(slang) Homosexual.
I knew he was family when I first met him.
Family
The collective body of persons who live in one house, and under one head or manager; a household, including parents, children, and servants, and, as the case may be, lodgers or boarders.
Family
The group comprising a husband and wife and their dependent children, constituting a fundamental unit in the organization of society.
The welfare of the family underlies the welfare of society.
Family
Those who descend from one common progenitor; a tribe, clan, or race; kindred; house; as, the human family; the family of Abraham; the father of a family.
Go ! and pretend your family is young.
Family
Course of descent; genealogy; line of ancestors; lineage.
Family
Honorable descent; noble or respectable stock; as, a man of family.
Family
A group of kindred or closely related individuals; as, a family of languages; a family of States; the chlorine family.
Family
A group of organisms, either animal or vegetable, related by certain points of resemblance in structure or development, more comprehensive than a genus, because it is usually based on fewer or less pronounced points of likeness. In Zoology a family is less comprehesive than an order; in botany it is often considered the same thing as an order.
Family
A social unit living together;
He moved his family to Virginia
It was a good Christian household
I waited until the whole house was asleep
The teacher asked how many people made up his home
Family
Primary social group; parents and children;
He wanted to have a good job before starting a family
Family
People descended from a common ancestor;
His family has lived in Massachusetts since the Mayflower
Family
A collection of things sharing a common attribute;
There are two classes of detergents
Family
An association of people who share common beliefs or activities;
The message was addressed not just to employees but to every member of the company family
The church welcomed new members into its fellowship
Family
(biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera;
Sharks belong to the fish family
Family
A person having kinship with another or others;
He's kin
He's family
Family
A loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities
Family
Family is a group of people related by blood or marriage.
She cherishes the time she spends with her family.
Family
Family signifies people one is close to emotionally, not always by blood.
Sarah is not my sister by birth, but she's definitely family.
Common Curiosities
Are all Family members also Relatives?
Yes, all family members are relatives, but not all relatives are considered immediate family.
Can you have Relatives you've never met?
Absolutely, especially distant relatives like third or fourth cousins.
What does Family typically refer to?
Family often refers to a close-knit group related by blood or marriage, usually living together.
Can friends be considered Family?
Yes, close friends can be emotionally regarded as "family," even without blood ties.
How do Relatives differ from Family?
Relatives encompass a wider range of people related by blood or marriage, not necessarily living together or closely bonded.
Is the term Family always about humans?
No, "family" can refer to groups in nature, like animal families or plant classifications.
Can family structures vary globally?
Yes, family structures and definitions can vary based on cultural, societal, or regional differences.
Are in-laws considered Relatives?
Yes, in-laws are relatives by virtue of legal or marital ties.
How can one trace their Family and Relatives?
People can use genealogy tools, family records, or DNA testing services to trace lineage.
Does living with someone make them Family?
Not necessarily. While cohabitation can create a family-like setting, the term "family" is often reserved for blood, marriage, or emotional ties.
Do all Relatives share a common ancestor?
Generally, yes, whether immediate like a grandparent or distant like a shared great-great-grandparent.
What role does adoption play in defining Family and Relatives?
Adoption legally and emotionally adds someone to a family, making the adopted person and their descendants relatives of the adoptive family.
What's a nuclear family?
A nuclear family typically consists of parents and their children living together.
Are step-siblings and half-siblings considered Relatives?
Yes, both step-siblings (by marriage) and half-siblings (by blood) are considered relatives.
Can a family reunion include Relatives outside the immediate family?
Yes, family reunions often gather a wide range of relatives.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
