blood relative
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A person who is connected to another by birth, meaning they share a common ancestor. This relationship is based on biological lineage, not through marriage or legal adoption.
Usage
The term "blood relative" is used to specify a familial connection based on direct biological descent. It distinguishes family members you are genetically related to from those related by law (in-laws) or social contract (adoptive family).
Examples
Advanced Usage
- Legal and Medical Contexts: The term is often crucial in legal matters (like inheritance) and medical situations (like determining compatibility for organ donation or assessing genetic health risks).
- The court required proof that he was a blood relative to be eligible for the estate.
- Doctors prefer to find a matching donor among the patient's blood relatives.
Variants and Related Words
- Blood relation: A synonymous term for a blood relative.
- She is a blood relation on my mother's side.
- Consanguinity: (Formal noun) The state of being related by blood.
- Kin: A broader term for family and relatives, which can include both blood relatives and those by marriage.
Synonyms
- Biological relative
- Genetic relative
- Consanguineous relative (formal)
Antonyms
- Relative by marriage (e.g., brother-in-law, stepmother)
- Adoptive relative (e.g., adoptive father)
- Fictive kin (a person not related by blood or marriage but considered family)
Related Phrases/Idioms
- Blood is thicker than water: An idiom suggesting that family bonds (typically of blood relatives) are stronger than other relationships.
- He decided to help his brother, proving that blood is thicker than water.
Noun
- one related by blood or origin; especially on sharing an ancestor with another