nuclear family

noun

: a family group that consists only of parents and children

Examples of nuclear family in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Niang says this is especially prevalent among Black American couples since a large sect of the group don’t have generational wealth to fall back on if their nuclear family falls short. Jasmine Browley, Essence, 13 Feb. 2024 Krok, like Friedl, grew up an only child, but was in a more-traditional nuclear family situation in a home five miles away from Warren and 11 miles due south of Cortland. Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 Over the past half-century, America has gone from a country in which the predominant home buyer was a nuclear family with about three children to one in which singles, empty nesters and couples without children have become a much larger share of the population. Conor Dougherty, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, an ascendant right wing is busy flogging the concept of the nuclear family — heterosexual, natch — with men as breadwinners and women maintaining the home and raising children. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024 Key Takeaways Platonic parenting is quickly becoming a popular method for successfully building families for those who don't see the cookie-cutter nuclear family arrangement as a good fit. Allison Hope, Parents, 4 Feb. 2024 While nuclear families can use the tool to stay organized, Lirio Marcelo envisions the product as a resource for nontraditional families as well. Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 2 Feb. 2024 Are Democrats, however supposedly hellbent on dismantling gender roles and destroying the nuclear family, still longing for the heterosexual American archetype? Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2024 Many past demographic studies have focused on the nuclear family (defined as two parents and their children) because most readily available data measure changes within individual households. Alice Sun, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nuclear family.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nuclear family was in 1924

Dictionary Entries Near nuclear family

Cite this Entry

“Nuclear family.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nuclear%20family. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nuclear family

noun
: a family group that consists only of father, mother, and children

Medical Definition

nuclear family

noun
: a family group that consists only of father, mother, and children see extended family

More from Merriam-Webster on nuclear family

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