familiar vs. pariente?

Question

Is their any major difference between the two when discussing family relatives? Gracias.

Answer 1

I am not completely sure.

My sister is "un familiar". It is the type of people who form my closest family.

Although, it is true that "pariente" can be for close or distant relatives, I would never use "pariente" for my sister. The word "pariente" is on another level. Although I can say: parientes lejanos y cercanos.

Perhaps it is because the word "pariente" is too formal.

Answer 2

I think it's like the difference between family and relative in English. The cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents I grew up with are family. The cousins I've never met are just relatives. Even though my sisters and parents are relatives, I would never refer to them that way in normal conversation.

That's a good explanation - La_familiar, Nov 28, 2013