next of kin
Your closest relatives are your next of kin. You might describe your parents as your next of kin.
You can use the phrase next of kin to describe your family members, especially those who are closely related to you, like your children, spouse, siblings, or parents. It's most common to talk about someone's next of kin when the person has been injured, is terribly sick, or has died. For example, a nurse in a hospital might say, "I'll call his sister to let her know how he's doing — she's listed as his next of kin."
-
the person who is (or persons who are) most closely related to a given person
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing next of kin
The nation mourned the deaths of 19 firefighters in Arizona in June. Now a controversy has arisen over the payments some of the families will receive based on the firefighters' employment status at the time of the fire. Drawn from Row Simmers Over Death Benefits for Arizona 'Hotshot' Firefighters Reuters, August 7, 2013
In this novel, trans teen Miles Abernathy survives an attempted murder and finds himself caught up in a century-old blood feud while also being haunted by his own ancestor.
With all of his family sick, dead, or gone, sixteen-year-old Dorian Gray Henry looks for ways to keep himself and a stray dog alive in rural Vermont and Tennessee.