Familial means relating to or involving family. When doctors talk about familial traits, they mean characteristics that run in families, like curly hair, dimples, or a talent for music. A familial disease is one that appears in multiple family members across generations, passed down through genes.

The word also describes the warm, comfortable feeling you get around family or people who feel like family. A gathering might have a familial atmosphere when everyone treats each other with the same easy affection and teasing you'd find at a family dinner. Your grandmother's kitchen might have a familial smell that instantly makes you feel at home.

You might hear someone described as having a familial resemblance to their aunt or grandfather, meaning they share similar features. Teachers sometimes notice familial patterns when they teach siblings over the years: the same laugh, the same way of solving problems, or the same stubborn streak when tackling difficult assignments.