i.e Sam had a _____________ relationship with his family, with the omitted space being an adjective showing the toxic/bad relations between Sam and his family.
'Strained' comes to mind, but some others would be greatly appreciated.
Learn English – How would you describe poor/bad family relations
word-choice
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Best Answer
The word dysfunctional is often used to describe personal relationships which are unhealthy or toxic. It's so common, the term dysfunctional family has its own Wikipedia page. Relationships can be dysfunctional in many ways, some of the more common being lack of empathy or boundaries, a power imbalance, or constant conflict or arguing.