fatherless

American

[fah-ther-lis] / ˈfɑ ðər lɪs /

adjective

not having a living father.

a fatherless boy.
not having a known or legally responsible father.

ˈfatherless British

/ ˈfɑːðəlɪs /

adjective

having no father

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fatherless

before 1000; Middle English faderles, Old English fæderlēas. See father, -less

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His own son, Breck, is 14, and will soon be fatherless.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

That’s why he’d spent years mentoring a fatherless young man to help him find his way in the world.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2025

The letter refers to the boy being a fatherless apprentice and through his research Prof Steggle says there was only one person in London called John Butts who fits that criteria.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2025

On one hand, boarding another boat could leave his wife a widow and his two children fatherless.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 18, 2023

I can’t have my poor, fatherless girls starve just to please Grandpa.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023