immediate family

[ ih-mee-dee-it fam-uh-lee, fam lee ]

noun

1. a social unit consisting of people who are very closely related, usually including parents, siblings, spouses, and children, or the members of this social unit: Compare extended family ( def 1 ), nuclear family def.

   Benefits include free medical treatment for the employee and immediate family.

   Members of her immediate family and several former colleagues were also in attendance.

Word History and Origins

Origin of immediate family¹

First recorded in 1730–40