parental

[puh-ren-tl]

adjective

1. of or relating to a parent.

2. proper to or characteristic of a parent.

   parental feelings.

3. having the relation of a parent

4. Genetics.,  pertaining to the sequence of generations preceding the filial generation, each generation being designated by a P followed by a subscript number indicating its place in the sequence.

noun

1. Also called parental unit. Informal.,  one's parent.

   I'm headed for a vacation with the parentals.

Other Word Forms

• parentally adverb
• interparental adjective
• nonparental adjective
• nonparentally adverb
• postparental adjective
• unparental adjective
• unparentally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of parental¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin parentālis “of, belonging to parents,” equivalent to parent- “parent” + -ālis adjective suffix; parent, -al ¹

Example Sentences

It may not have altered the parental dynamic that Hicks and Ripley shared but it may have changed other assumptions we projected on those two characters.

From Salon

Last year, Public Health Scotland published a review of all drug deaths in 2020 which revealed that 602 children lost a parent or parental figure to overdose in that year alone.

From BBC

It looked at a variety of methods - including formal verification using government documents, parental approval, or technologies to determine age based on facial structure, gestures, or behaviours - and found all were technically possible.

From BBC

The review suggested the girl had mental health challenges and had a troubled childhood with "fractured parental relationships" and exposure to domestic abuse.

From BBC

She and others went on to document additional contributors to autism risk, including parental age at the time of birth, a mother’s fever during pregnancy and more traditional environmental considerations, such as chemical exposures.

From Salon

Related Words

• fatherly 
• maternal 
• paternal