Definition

Noun: A man who prioritizes his family and considers his family life to be of central importance. He is typically devoted to his spouse and children, often preferring to spend his free time with them rather than on outside social or professional activities.

Examples

• He's a true family man; he always leaves work on time to have dinner with his wife and kids.
• Despite his successful career, he is first and foremost a family man.
• John used to go out every night, but since having children, he has become a real family man.

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a positive connotation of responsibility, stability, and devotion.
• It can be used contrastively to describe a change in lifestyle (e.g., from a bachelor or career-focused individual to a family-oriented one).
• While traditionally gendered, the concept is increasingly expressed in gender-neutral terms like "family-oriented person."

Variants and Related Words

• Family-oriented (adjective): Having a strong focus on family life and values.
  • She is very family-oriented and plans her schedule around her children's activities.
• Devoted husband/father: Phrases that specify the familial role of the man's devotion.

Synonyms

• Devoted father/husband
• Homebody (though this emphasizes a preference for being at home more generally, not necessarily family-specific)

Antonyms

• Bachelor
• Playboy
• Workaholic (when it implies neglect of family)

Related Idioms/Phrases

• To settle down: To adopt a stable lifestyle, typically involving marriage and family.
  • After years of traveling, he decided to settle down and become a family man.
• (To be) a home and family man: An emphatic phrase reinforcing the concept.
  • His public image is that of a home and family man.

Noun

1. a man whose family is of major importance in his life