fatherless

F4A1T1H4E1R1L1E1S1S1

adjective

Without a (living) father.

Similar
unparentedparentlessillegitimate
OriginMiddle English faderles ← Old English fæderlēas ← Proto-Germanic *fadērlausaz →
UncommonScrabble 16
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Meanings

adjectivefatherless (not comparable)

alternative fatherlesse

  1. not comparableWithout a (living) father.

    “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.

    2012 June 17, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Homer’s Triple Bypass” (season 4, episode 11; originally aired 12/17/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 16 Oct 2013
  2. figurativelynot comparableWithout a known author or inventor.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivehaving no living father

Similar
unparentedparentless

adjectivenot having a known or legally responsible father

Similar
illegitimate
Also see
dadlessillegitimateparentlessunparented

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*fadērlausaz
  2. Old Englishfæderlēas
  3. Middle Englishfaderles
  4. Englishfatherless

From Middle English faderles, federles, from Old English fæderlēas, from Proto-Germanic *fadērlausaz, equivalent to father + -less. Cognate with German vaterlos.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἀπάτωρ
  • ἀπάτωρ (apátōr)without a living father
Danish faderløs
  • faderløswithout a living father
Dutch vaderloos
  • vaderlooswithout a living father
Finnish isätön
  • isätönwithout a living father
German vaterlos
  • vaterloswithout a living father
Hungarian apátlan, atyátlan
  • apátlanwithout a living father
  • atyátlanwithout a living father
Norwegian Bokmål farløs, farlaus
  • farløswithout a living father
  • farlauswithout a living father
Polish bez ojca
  • bez ojcawithout a living father
Swedish faderlös
  • faderlöswithout a living father
Turkish babasız, yetim
  • babasızwithout a living father
  • yetimwithout a living father
Cite this entry
APA

fatherless. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fatherless

MLA

“fatherless.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fatherless. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fatherless,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fatherless.

Source: fatherless on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.