Word
fatherless
Phoneticsfa·ther·less, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈfɑðɝɫəs/
UK/fˈɑːðələs/
Definition
adj. without a father because he died or is not part of your life. You use it to talk about a child growing up this way.
adj. lacking a living or present father, typically through death, absence, or estrangement. Often describes a child raised without paternal care or presence.
Examples
“She raises her fatherless son with love and care.”
“The charity supports fatherless children with school fees and mentoring.”
“Growing up fatherless in a small mining town, he learned early to find guidance in teachers, uncles, and books.”
Examples
simple
“She raises her fatherless son with love and care.”
contextual
“The charity supports fatherless children with school fees and mentoring.”
complex
“Growing up fatherless in a small mining town, he learned early to find guidance in teachers, uncles, and books.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “fatherless” in context.
Verb
01. grow up fatherless
“She grew up fatherless after her father died when she was two.”
phrasal verb + adj
02. leave fatherless
“The conflict left thousands of children fatherless.”
verb + adj
Adjective
03. effectively fatherless
“With his father always working abroad, the boy was effectively fatherless.”
adv + adj
04. practically fatherless
“He was practically fatherless, seeing his dad only once a year.”
adv + adj
Noun
05. fatherless boy
“The novel tells the story of a fatherless boy raised by his grandparents.”
adj + noun
06. fatherless child
“The charity funds education for every fatherless child.”
adj + noun
07. fatherless family
“The centre offers counselling to a fatherless family in crisis.”
adj + noun
08. fatherless girl
“She writes openly about life as a fatherless girl in the 1990s.”
adj + noun
09. a fatherless childhood
“He describes the pain of a fatherless childhood in his memoir.”
10. left fatherless by war
“Thousands of children were left fatherless by war.”
11. raise a fatherless child
“She had to work two jobs to raise a fatherless child alone.”
12. raised in a fatherless home
“He was raised in a fatherless home by his mother and grandmother.”
Real-World Examples
“For Theuma, a fatherless teenager, the Malta Racing Club was a home from home.” “Christ's Hospital in London introduced the precursor to today's uniform when it was founded in 1552 to educate and support fatherless and poor children.” “Schools such as Christ's Hospital, in Horsham, West Sussex, founded in 1552 in London, took up "fatherless children and other poor children" from the parish and educated them.” “Left fatherless as a boy, motherless as an adolescent, he has looked to his boss, Bill (the terrific character actor Stephen Root), for paternal guidance and to his seventh-grade teacher, Macy (Sigourney Weaver, perfect), for something more than maternal comfort.” Etymology
From Middle English faderles, federles, from Old English fæderlēas, from Proto-Germanic *fadērlausaz, equivalent to father + -less. Cognate with German vaterlos.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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