The word "nibling" hasn't yet entered most English dictionaries, but it's gaining in popularity. Sources suggest it was coined in the 1950s by the linguist Samuel E. Martin, but neither Merriam-Webster nor I have managed to track down the original source.

"Nibling" is a playful coinage that tacks the "n" from "nieces" and "nephews" onto the word "sibling."

Much like you can refer to your brothers and sisters as your siblings, you can refer to your siblings' kids as your niblings.

This word gives us a cute, slangy way to refer to nieces and nephews as a group, or as individuals without referring to their gender, as in "J. Lo posts with pride about her nibling." For that reason, I think "nibling" deserves a place in our vocabulary. Some folks in academia agree, like Dr. Roger J. Kreuz, Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology at the University of Memphis: "With English speakers becoming more comfortable with gender-neutral terms, such as the singular 'they,' nibling seems like a natural addition to English's gender-neutral lexicon."

Part of speech:

Noun, the countable kind: "I got to visit with three of my niblings."

Other forms: 

Just the plural, "niblings."

But feel free to invent other forms, like "half-nibling" or "niblinghood" or "niblingery." What if your niblings are adults? Maybe call them "nibs."

how to use it:

If you don't mind using a slangy word that's a bit woke, and a bit adorable, then you'll enjoy the convenience of referring to your nieces and nephews as your niblings.

I like it. It's faster for me to tell you that I'm blessed with ten niblings rather than three nieces and seven nephews. I'm biased toward all words new and cute, though.

examples:

"Nephews. Nieces. Niblings. Want to cruise on my new ride? I just borrowed it from the hardware store."
— "Satvrday" (Season 1, Episode 8), Reservation Dogs, 20 September 2021

"Oh, you got kids?"
"Niblings."
"...?"
"Nieces and nephews."
— "Stronger Than Hate" (Season 18, Episode 18), Grey's Anatomy, 19 May 2022

has this page helped you understand "nibling"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "nibling" without saying "sibling's kid" or "someone you're an aunt or uncle to."

try it out:

As I mentioned a moment ago, some people despise the word "nibling." The writer Olivia Harrison hates the very sound of it, saying it's "icky," "gag-inducing," and "skin-crawling," and that its popularity is "utterly confounding."

Where do you stand on the word "nibling"? Could you imagine yourself using it in casual conversation? Why or why not?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for March is "Tidbits and Titles: Books That Became Movies!"

I provide the tidbits; you provide the title. And every answer will be a book that has been made into a movie. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Let's play!

Here's a quote from the book. Actually, I lied; this one is a short story: "As she sagely observed, ducks and geese are foolish things, and must be looked after, but girls can take care of themselves."

Here are some words and phrases that often appear in that short story: Beauty, brook, countenance, dark, delight, fancy, ghost, gloomy, goblin, head, imagination, lady, melancholy, night, spectre, strange, voice, wandering.

What's the short story's title?

review this word:

1. The opposite of a NIBLING could be

A. an AUNT or UNCLE.
B. a CHILD or MINOR.
C. an ENTREE or a MAIN COURSE.

2. The Cambridge Dictionary seems to be among the first to include the word "nibling," defining it as "_____."

A. a light appetizer
B. a child of your sibling
C. a complaint about a matter of unimportance

Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B Answer to the game question: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.