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.
His own family tree was a source of introspection. — Adelle Platon, VIBE.com, 24 June 2026 But on the other hand, there are amazing stories of triumph on everyone’s family tree. — Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2026 Their first step was to limit the number of species included in the eukaryotic family tree. — ArsTechnica, 11 June 2026 The Roots hold a diverse musical family tree, with a core hip-hop foundation and a defining presence in neo-soul. — Ime Ekpo, Forbes.com, 14 June 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 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

family tree

noun
1
: genealogy sense 1
2
: a diagram showing family relationships

More from Merriam-Webster on family tree

Nglish: Translation of family tree for Spanish Speakers

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All