parental

American  

[puh-ren-tl] / pəˈrɛn tl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a parent.

2. proper to or characteristic of a parent.

   parental feelings.

3. having the relation of a parent

4. 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.

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noun

1. Also called parental unit.  Informal. one's parent.

   I'm headed for a vacation with the parentals.

Other Word Forms

• interparental adjective
• nonparental adjective
• nonparentally adverb
• parentally adverb
• postparental adjective
• unparental adjective
• unparentally adverb

Etymology

Origin of parental

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin parentālis “of, belonging to parents,” equivalent to parent- “parent” + -ālis adjective suffix; parent, -al ¹

Example Sentences

This approach allows researchers to better control for shared genetics, household environment, and long-term parental characteristics.

From Science Daily

“If I’m trying to write a loving, supportive, validating, parental figure, that’s not my experience. I don’t know how to begin to write that.”

From Los Angeles Times

The watchdog said parental controls for the games appear to default to a less restrictive version that enables minors to make in-game purchases.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pregnancy, nursing, sperm production, courtship behavior, and parental care all consume large amounts of energy.

From Science Daily

Too often, that clarity gets obscured by parental expectations and the allure of a state-of-the-art fitness center.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fatherly
• maternal
• paternal