familial

adjective

fa·​mil·​ial fə-ˈmil-yəl How to pronounce familial (audio)
-ˈmi-lē-əl
1
: tending to occur in more members of a family than expected by chance alone
a familial disorder
2
: of, relating to, or suggestive of a family
has familial ties to the area
a familial atmosphere

Examples of familial in a Sentence

The company has created a familial atmosphere in its offices. it's a familial duty as well as a tradition for everyone in my family to eat dinner together
Recent Examples on the Web For many in Southern California, Disneyland sits somewhere between a landmark and a rite of passage, a place of familial and friendship rituals that stays with you long after the grand finale of the evening’s fireworks. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 With his portrait of Robert Oppenheimer, Nolan tells an extraordinary story, delving into the physicist’s political, moral, personal, and familial odysseys. Marthe Mabille, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 The El Paso, Texas, native with familial ties to Chihuahua, Mexico, had become accustomed to spicy chilis that developed their heat under the stress of the hot desert sun and the range of beef cuts provided by Texas’ cattle country. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 Desperate to protect her son from scandal fallout, Yolanda navigates Havana’s streets, facing familial conflict, community disdain for her wild ways, and personal remorse in her quest. John Hopewell, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 Female advisors, for example, may be less able to travel for in-person meetings due to familial obligations. Janet Arzt, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Bella is one of those who chose not to go home for the holidays, often the only time Chinese workers get enough time off to make the trek back to their hometowns for days of feasting and familial duty. Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024 It’s been my familial role for 20 years — and usually my siblings and our spouses are happy to step aside. Heidi Mitchell, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2024 Locke, as a homosexual, and Johnson, as an orphan adrift, grew up without the usual empathetic scaffolding of familial sustenance. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

French, from Latin familia

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of familial was in 1843

Dictionary Entries Near familial

Cite this Entry

“Familial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/familial. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

familial

adjective
fa·​mil·​ial fə-ˈmil-yəl How to pronounce familial (audio)
: of, relating to, or typical of a family

Medical Definition

familial

adjective
fa·​mil·​ial fə-ˈmil-yəl How to pronounce familial (audio)
: tending to occur in more members of a family than expected by chance alone
a familial disorder
compare acquired sense 1, congenital sense 2, hereditary

More from Merriam-Webster on familial

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