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

Example Sentences

Ashqar and her immediate family landed in a classroom of a hotel management institute, with desks piled to one side and a few old mattresses on the floor.

From Los Angeles Times

In this Amazon Prime Video version, Sheen's Prince Andrew is a more complex figure, self-seeking, emotionally deaf, ambitious, loyal to his own immediate family, distrustful of palace officials and with a desperate need for approval.

From BBC

The impact of her death is being felt beyond her immediate family and friends.

From BBC

Outside of her immediate family, there were also comments made on social media - which she didn’t take seriously.

From BBC

Investigators described Crooks as a loner whose social network was limited to immediate family members.

From Salon