Meanings
comparative more parental · superlative most parental
- Of or relating to a parent.
- Befitting a parent; affectionate; tender.
- biologyOf the generation of organisms that produce a hybrid.
This, following Bateson, we may call the parental generation or P generation. Subsequent generations are called filial generations (abbreviated F) and their numerical order is indicated by a subscript, [...]
1916, William E. Castle, Gregor Mendel, Genetics & Eugenics, page 101
plural parentals
- A person fulfilling a parental role.
Nowadays there are all kinds of potential parentals besides parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, step-parents, in-laws, older siblings and cousins, and those in civil unions.
Synonyms & antonyms
antonym(s) of “relating to a parent”
adjectivedesignating the generation of organisms from which hybrid offspring are produced
adjectiverelating to or characteristic of or befitting a parent
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinparentālis
- Middle Frenchparental
- Englishparental
From Middle French parental, from Latin parentālis, from parens (“parent”).
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic وَالِدِيّ
- وَالِدِيّ (wālidiyy)relating to parent
Bulgarian роди́телски
- роди́телски (rodítelski)relating to parent
Catalan parental
- parentalrelating to parent
Czech rodičovský
- rodičovskýrelating to parent
Dutch ouderlijk
- ouderlijkrelating to parent
Esperanto gepatra
- gepatrarelating to parent
Finnish vanhempien
- vanhempienrelating to parent
French parental
- parentalrelating to parent
German elterlich
- elterlichrelating to parent
Greek γονικός, γονεϊκός
- γονικός (gonikós)relating to parent
- γονεϊκός (goneïkós)relating to parent
Hungarian szülői
- szülőirelating to parent
Italian parentale
- parentalerelating to parent
Latin parentālis
- parentālisrelating to parent
Polish rodzicielski
- rodzicielskirelating to parent
Portuguese parental
- parentalrelating to parent
Romanian părintesc, părintească
- părintescrelating to parent
- părinteascărelating to parent
Russian роди́тельский
- роди́тельский (rodítelʹskij)relating to parent
Slovak rodičovský
- rodičovskýrelating to parent
Spanish parental
- parentalrelating to parent
Ukrainian ба́тьківський, роди́тельський
- ба́тьківський (bátʹkivsʹkyj)relating to parent
- роди́тельський (rodýtelʹsʹkyj)relating to parent
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
parental. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parental
“parental.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parental. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “parental,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parental.
Source: parental on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.