Fatherless
adj ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Without a (living) father. not-comparable
"“Homer’s Triple Bypass” has the potential to be the most depressing episode in the history of The Simpsons, if not television as whole. It is, after all, about a 36-year-old husband and father staring down death and the prospect of leaving his wife a young widow and his small children fatherless."
- 2 Without a known author or inventor. figuratively, not-comparable
- 1 not having a known or legally responsible father wordnet
- 2 having no living father wordnet
Example
More examples"For a fatherless Kabyle child, to show that he accepts his affliction, a saying makes him say: "It does not matter who will marry my mother, I will be his stepson.""
Etymology
From Middle English faderles, federles, from Old English fæderlēas, from Proto-Germanic *fadērlausaz, equivalent to father + -less. Cognate with German vaterlos.
Related phrases
More for "fatherless"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.