Family & Relationships Vocabulary
This page collects 48 English family words. Every word comes with a real photo, pronunciation audio, a clear meaning and an example sentence, so you can see and hear each word in context. Each card links to the daily lesson where the word was taught, so you can read the full conversation and practice shadowing.
Words are grouped by topic: Family Members (20 words), Friendship (4 words), Family Life & Parenting (15 words) and Love & Marriage (9 words). They cover all six CEFR levels, from beginner words like baby, brother, cousin to advanced words like alienate, camaraderie, patriarch. Use the audio on each card to check your pronunciation, then test yourself with the quiz below.
Quiz: Test Yourself
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check your score.
Q1. Which word means 'a marriage ceremony'?
Q2. Which word means 'the daughter of your brother or sister'?
Q3. Which word means 'to take care of a child while the parents are away'?
Q4. Which word means 'promised to marry someone'?
Q5. Which word means 'an intense, almost obsessive romantic attraction to someone'?
Q6. What is this?
Q7. What is this?
Q8. What is this?
Q9. What is this?
Q10. What is this?
Family Members (20 words)
A1
baby noun · A1
BAY-bee
a very young child
The baby is sleeping.
brother noun · A1
BRUH-thur
a boy or man with the same parents
Her brother is funny.
cousin noun · A1
KUH-zin
a child of your aunt or uncle
My cousin is my friend.
daughter noun · A1
DAW-tur
a female child of a parent
Our daughter is happy.
grandfather noun · A1
GRAND-fah-thur
the father of your mother or father
His grandfather is old.
grandmother noun · A1
GRAND-muh-thur
the mother of your mother or father
My grandmother is nice.
sister noun · A1
SIS-tur
a girl or woman with the same parents
My sister is ten.
A2
aunt noun · A2
ANT
the sister of your mother or father
My aunt lives in a small town.
grandchild noun · A2
GRAND-chyld
the child of your son or daughter
The woman plays with her grandchild every day.
nephew noun · A2
NEF-yoo
the son of your brother or sister
My nephew is five years old.
niece noun · A2
NEES
the daughter of your brother or sister
My niece loves to draw pictures.
teenager noun · A2
TEEN-ay-jer
a person between thirteen and nineteen years old
The teenager goes to school every day.
uncle noun · A2
UNK-ul
the brother of your mother or father
My uncle is a good cook.
B1
relative noun · B1
REL-uh-tiv
a family member, like an uncle or cousin
Every summer we visit our relatives in another city.
C1
patriarch noun · C1
PAY-tree-ark
the male head of a family or group
As the patriarch of the family, he made all the important decisions.
C2
avuncular adjective · C2
uh-VUNG-kyuh-lur
kind, warm and friendly, like an uncle
With his avuncular smile, the old professor put every nervous student at ease.
scion noun · C2
SY-un
a young member of a rich or famous family
As the scion of a banking dynasty, she was expected to join the family firm.
Friendship (4 words)
A2
neighbor noun · A2
NAY-bur
a person who lives near you
My neighbor waters our plants when we are away.
B2
friendship noun · B2
FREND-ship
a close, kind relationship between people
Their friendship started in school.
C1
alienate verb · C1
AY-lee-uh-nate
make someone feel isolated or cut off from others
His harsh criticism alienated even his closest friends.
C2
camaraderie noun · C2
kahm-uh-RAH-duh-ree
warm friendship and trust among people who spend time together
The camaraderie among the old school friends was obvious at the reunion.
Family Life & Parenting (15 words)
B1
babysit verb · B1
BAY-bee-sit
to take care of a child while the parents are away
Can you babysit my daughter on Friday evening?
childhood noun · B1
CHYLD-hood
the time in your life when you are a child
He spent his childhood in a small village near the sea.
household noun · B1
HOWS-hohld
all the people living together in one home
In our household, everyone helps with cooking and cleaning.
raise verb · B1
RAYZ
to care for a child until they grow up
It is not easy to raise three children while working full-time.
B2
bond noun · B2
bond
a strong feeling of love or friendship between people
The shared camping trips created a strong bond between father and son.
custody noun · B2
KUS-tuh-dee
the legal right to care for a child after parents separate
After the divorce, both parents shared custody of their son.
devoted adjective · B2
di-VOH-tid
showing deep love and loyalty
He is a devoted father who never misses his daughter's school plays.
estranged adjective · B2
es-TRAYNJD
no longer in contact with someone, especially family
She became estranged from her brother after the argument over their parents' house.
feud noun · B2
fyood
a long, angry argument between people or families
The feud between the two cousins lasted more than ten years.
kinship noun · B2
KIN-ship
a deep feeling of connection, like being family
There was an instant kinship between the two immigrants from the same country.
nurturing adjective · B2
NUR-chur-ing
caring and supportive, helping someone grow
Grandmothers often create a nurturing home where children feel safe.
reconcile verb · B2
REK-un-sile
to become friends again after a fight
It took them two years to reconcile after the family feud.
upbringing noun · B2
UP-bring-ing
the way a child is raised by their parents
His strict upbringing made him very disciplined as an adult.
C1
nurture verb · C1
NUR-chur
care for and help someone or something grow
Good parents nurture their children's curiosity.
C2
estrangement noun · C2
iss-TRAYNJ-munt
the state of no longer being close to someone you were close to
Years of silence led to a painful estrangement between father and son.
Love & Marriage (9 words)
A2
married adjective · A2
MAR-eed
having a husband or wife
My brother is married.
B1
divorce noun · B1
duh-VORS
the legal end of a marriage
After their divorce, they stayed friendly for the children.
engaged adjective · B1
in-GAYJD
promised to marry someone
My sister got engaged last month, so we are planning her wedding.
wedding noun · B1
WED-ing
a marriage ceremony
They had a small wedding with only close family and friends.
C2
limerence noun · C2
LIM-uh-runss
an intense, almost obsessive romantic attraction to someone
His limerence for his colleague made it impossible for him to concentrate at work.
tryst noun · C2
TRIST
a secret meeting between lovers
The two arranged a midnight tryst at the old boathouse.
unrequited adjective · C2
un-ruh-KWY-tid
(of love or feelings) not returned by the other person
She wrote poems about her unrequited love for her best friend.
uxorious adjective · C2
uk-SOR-ee-uss
(of a husband) excessively devoted to his wife
He was so uxorious that he cancelled every trip that would take him away from his wife.
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