unfilial

U1N1F4I1L1I1A1L1
UK/ʌnˈfɪlɪəl/

adjective

Not befitting or proper for a son.

Opposite
filial
OriginEnglish filial ← Middle English filial ← Latin fīliālis →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

adjectiveunfilial (comparative more unfilial, superlative most unfilial)

comparative more unfilial · superlative most unfilial

  1. Not befitting or proper for a son.

    It is an account of the death of Sancho the Valiant, the unfilial and rebellious son of Alfonso the Learned; […]

    1920, Ida Farnell, “Don Juan Manuel”, in Spanish Prose and Poetry, Old and New, page 49

    Antonyms: filial

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveNot befitting or proper for a son.

Opposite
filial

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Germanic*un-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*un-
  5. Old Englishun-
  6. Middle Englishun-
  7. Englishun-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁(y)-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*dʰh₁ilyós
  10. Proto-Italic*θīlios
  11. Proto-Italic*fīlios
  12. Latinfīlius
  13. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  14. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  15. Latinfīliālis
  16. Middle Englishfilial
  17. Englishfilial
  18. Englishunfilial

From un- + filial.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

unfilial. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unfilial

MLA

“unfilial.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unfilial. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unfilial,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unfilial.

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