Word
family member
Definition
compound. A person who is part of your family, such as a parent, brother, sister, or cousin.
compound. A person related to another by kinship, either through blood (consanguinity) or through marriage or adoption (affinity).
Examples
“My aunt is a close family member.”
“You must list a family member as your emergency contact on the hospital form.”
“The will stipulated that the estate be divided equally among all surviving family members, regardless of their degree of relation.”
Examples
simple
“My aunt is a close family member.”
contextual
“You must list a family member as your emergency contact on the hospital form.”
complex
“The will stipulated that the estate be divided equally among all surviving family members, regardless of their degree of relation.”
Usage
This is a countable noun; the plural is 'family members'.
Teaching tip
Contrast with 'relative', a near-synonym that can sound slightly more formal or distant. 'Family member' is common in both everyday speech and official contexts.
Pitfall
He is my family.
He is a family member.
'Family' refers to the whole group, while 'family member' refers to one person within that group.