parental
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a parent.
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proper to or characteristic of a parent.
parental feelings.
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having the relation of a parent
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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
adjective
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of or relating to a parent or parenthood
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genetics designating the first generation in a line, which gives rise to all succeeding (filial) generations
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of parental
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin parentālis “of, belonging to parents,” equivalent to parent- “parent” + -ālis adjective suffix; see parent, -al 1
Explanation
Someone who's parental acts the way a typical mother or father does. A parental kindergarten teacher might pat students' heads and call them "sweetheart." You can use the adjective parental to describe a motherly or fatherly person, like your parental uncle who attends all your school plays. It also describes something generally related to parents — like parental leave, a work benefit that allows new parents to take some time off to care for their baby; or a parental advisory, which warns parents about the content of an audio recording. The Latin root of parental is parens, "father or mother."
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.
Parental responsibility in mass shootings has come increasingly under the spotlight in recent years.
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
Parental love is the foundation from which any child can comfortably and confidently take risks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025
Charlotte Stirling-Reed, a child and baby nutritionist, spoke to the CBeebies Parental Helpline about the best ways to manage it and said it's important not to blame yourself.
From BBC • Sep. 11, 2025
Parental Advisory warnings have been issued for less sensitive material.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2024
Local Teen Trapped in Parental Vortex of Expectation and Disappointment, Doesn’t Expect to Be Rescued The nice thing about having an overachieving asshole for an older brother is that it takes the pressure off.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
