family tree

noun

Synonyms of family treenext
1
: genealogy
2
: a genealogical diagram

Synonyms of family tree

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of family tree in a Sentence

A framed family tree hung on the wall. his family tree includes writers, musical composers, and other notables in the arts
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
If physical gestures serve our relatives just fine, why did our own branch of the family tree gradually favor biological changes in our brains and anatomy that permitted our characteristic complexities in language and precision in speech? — Mike McRae 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026 After speaking with the family, investigators were able to test another living relative closer on the family tree to confirm Lahti’s identity in June. — Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026 Many of them supplement the text with photographs, epigraphs, glossaries, family trees, sketches, timelines, variant tables of contents, alternating fonts and notes to the reader. — Christopher Coffman, The Conversation, 24 Aug. 2026 Now, for the first time, the city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the NYPD Detective Bureau have identified a 9/11 victim using genetic genealogy, which combines DNA testing with family tree research, ABC News has learned. — Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for family tree

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of family tree was in 1763

Rhymes for family tree

See All Rhymes for family tree

Browse Nearby Words

family style
family tree
family-tree theory
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Family tree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/family%20tree. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

family tree

noun
1
: genealogy sense 1
2
: a diagram showing family relationships
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All