Underparent

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    One who has a subordinate position to the main parent but who takes on some parental responsibilities.

    "If Father is the typical male underparent, as he generally is, it is not that he is a failure, except by overparent standards."

Verb
  1. 1
    To provide one's child with insufficient attention and nurturing.

    "Do I underparent my child because I am not around enough to give the child what he or she needs?"

Example

More examples

"Do I underparent my child because I am not around enough to give the child what he or she needs?"

Etymology

From under- + parent.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.