filial

American  

[fil-ee-uhl] / ˈfɪl i əl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter.

   filial obedience.

2. noting or having the relation of a child to a parent.

3. Genetics. pertaining to the sequence of generations following the parental generation, each generation being designated by an F followed by a subscript number indicating its place in the sequence.

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filial British  

/ ˈfɪljəl /

adjective

1. of, resembling, or suitable to a son or daughter

   filial affection

2.  F.  genetics designating any of the generations following the parental generation; F 1 indicates the first filial generation, F 2 the second, etc

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Other Word Forms

• filially adverb
• filialness noun
• nonfilial adjective

Etymology

Origin of filial

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin fīliālis, equivalent to Latin fīli ( us ) son + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

If you describe something as filial, you're saying it's offspring-related. Depending on who your parents are, your filial duties might include taking out the trash, washing dishes, or ruling empires. The word filial comes from the Latin words filius, which means "son," and filia, or "daughter." In other words, filial is the filius of filius. One way of remembering the word is to think of a filly, a young horse. The two words aren't related, but it's fun to put them in the same sentence: "The filly's filial love made the mare a happy horse."

Example Sentences

As Hyllus, the son of Hercules and Dejanira, David Portillo was similarly impressive, his bright, easy tenor and excellent diction assets in his ardent filial devotion and wooing of Iole.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

It may sound counterintuitive — because the play is a drama tackling themes of class, feminism and parental and filial obligations — but Reaser and Harner’s superpower is their ability to laugh together.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025

For generations, China has relied on filial piety to fill the gaps in elderly care.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2024

What begins as a fulfillment of Michael’s filial duty evolves into a philosophical pilgrimage, away from civilization’s destructive conflicts toward direct communion with nature.

From New York Times • Dec. 5, 2023

Nature seemed to me benign and good; I thought she loved me, outcast as I was; and I, who from man could anticipate only mistrust, rejection, insult, clung to her with filial fondness.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë