COUSINS Synonyms: 23 Similar and Opposite Words

cousins

noun

Definition of cousins

plural of cousin

as in relatives

a person connected with another by blood or marriage we both were surprised to learn that we are distant cousins

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nonrelatives

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of cousins Bizarrely, sweepstakes machines, unlike their VGT and casino slot cousins, are neither regulated nor taxed. — Joe Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026 Cuban Knight Anole Cuban knight anoles are the bigger, greener cousins to a brown anole. — Alex Harris august 25, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026 Around that same time in 2013, Lindsay met Patrick Clancy through his sister and one of his cousins, per a profile in The New Yorker. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026 The restaurant was originally helmed by Gin Jack Keen, according to a 2020 Gin family cookbook, though ownership and management duties were eventually passed down from cousins to sons in the family, The Tribune previously reported. — Kaytlyn Leslie, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026 In a few months, Abdeen’s siblings, cousins, and uncles would go off on their annual Christmastime hunts. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026 The maps in today’s fantasy epics are distant cousins of the woodcut that illustrated the first edition of Utopia, and which imagined the faraway island. — Carline Tromp, The Dial, 18 Aug. 2026 The Midwest Regional Reception Center detains close to 500 fathers, mothers, spouses, cousins and friends on behalf of ICE. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026 The music filled the corridors, led by another of Sellers' cousins, Anthony Brown, an accomplished gospel singer with worldwide reach who has a ministry at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Prince George's County. — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cousins

Noun

Richard Gere’s Life Now The actor moved to his wife’s home country of Spain with their two sons at the end of 2024 so Silva could be closer to her relatives.

— Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
One day, her teen-age daughter, on the way to choir practice, witnessed ICE detaining someone outside her bus; Bre sent her children to stay with relatives in the suburbs.

— Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of relatives

Noun

Canada could restrict key exports to the US, such as energy and a key fertilizer ingredient known as potash, said Diamond Isinger, a policy strategist and former special advisor on Canada-US relations to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

— Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Cook’s legacy has been defined by his deft leadership through tumultuous supply chain environments and tense international trade relations.

— Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of relations

Browse Nearby Words

cousin

cousins

couth

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cousins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cousins. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of cousins

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

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

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

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

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

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes