uncle
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The male cousin of one's parent.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhngkuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʌŋkəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The male cousin of one's parent.
endearing
Used as a fictive kinship title for a close male friend of one's parent or parents.
The brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
The brother or brother-in-law of one's parent.
especially in the Southern USparts of UK and South Asia
An affectionate term for a man of an older generation than oneself, especially a friend of one's parents, by means of fictive kin.
A source of help and advice and encouragement
“He played uncle to lonely students.”
verb
transitivecolloquial
To address somebody by the term uncle.
intransitivecolloquial
To act like, or as, an uncle.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The male cousin of one's parent.
Used this way, uncle is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in family or home contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Family/home
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use uncle
- “He played uncle to lonely students.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A personification of the United States government.
A servile black character in a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
The fictional storyteller of tales written in the Black Vernacular and set in the South.
A counselor who admonishes frankly and sternly.
An uncle of your father or mother.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “uncle” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.