family resemblance
noun
: a similarity in the way people look because they are related
People say they can see the family resemblance between my sister and me.
Examples of family resemblance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Curiously, most all Bristol cars made from the 1946 prototype share a 114-inch wheelbase, imparting a proportional family resemblance across all models.
—
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 6 Feb. 2026
To paraphrase Tolstoy, all stable liberal democracies have a family resemblance; all failing dictatorships have maladies of their own.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
As far as family resemblance goes, Benjamin Travolta looks like a cross between his famous parents, and shows no sign of musical talents (unlike his sister Ella Bleu).
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
The nose bears a family resemblance to the Ariya, and the body style is sort of a crossover, sort of a fastback sedan, depending on your frame of reference.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Clearly, their family resemblance doesn't have much to do with hair color, though the power of these two combined may convince me to go red for fall 2025.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2025
Still, the Ioniq set maintains some family resemblance with design cues that repeat, like the square pixel patterns throughout.
—Kristin Shaw, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
With her hair loose and long, Giannulli showed off her family resemblance to her mom, Full House star Lori Loughlin.
—Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025
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Robert Ross, Robb Report, 6 Feb. 2026
To paraphrase Tolstoy, all stable liberal democracies have a family resemblance; all failing dictatorships have maladies of their own.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
As far as family resemblance goes, Benjamin Travolta looks like a cross between his famous parents, and shows no sign of musical talents (unlike his sister Ella Bleu).
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
The nose bears a family resemblance to the Ariya, and the body style is sort of a crossover, sort of a fastback sedan, depending on your frame of reference.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Clearly, their family resemblance doesn't have much to do with hair color, though the power of these two combined may convince me to go red for fall 2025.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2025
Still, the Ioniq set maintains some family resemblance with design cues that repeat, like the square pixel patterns throughout.
—Kristin Shaw, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
With her hair loose and long, Giannulli showed off her family resemblance to her mom, Full House star Lori Loughlin.
—Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Family resemblance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/family%20resemblance. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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