father substitute

noun

, Psychology.

1. a male who replaces an absent father and becomes an object of attachment.

Word History and Origins

Origin of father substitute¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

He didn’t regard Collins as a father substitute, but as a friend, despite their thirty-year difference in ages.

From Literature

Sam is a father substitute for Hally, and Wallace has an acute radar that makes clear how much Sam cares for Hally and how sensitive the boundaries are.

From Washington Post

Rita Skeeter’s smile flickered very slightly, but she hitched it back almost at once; she snapped open her crocodile-skin handbag, pulled out her Quick-Quotes Quill, and said, “How about giving me an interview about the Hagrid you know, Harry? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?”

From Literature

Henry IV Parts One and Two Shakespeare's Globe, SE1 Directed by Dominic Dromgoole Until 3 October Box office: 020-7401 9919 The two plays are often perceived as a dissection of father-and-son relationships, with Falstaff as a wayward father substitute for the young Prince Hal, who is estranged from his own dying, guilt-ridden father, Henry IV.

From The Guardian

Authority always makes the governed inferior and dependent; the man with a father complex cannot stand alone; he must always flee to his father or father substitute when he meets a difficulty.

From Project Gutenberg