filial
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter.
filial obedience.
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noting or having the relation of a child to a parent.
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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.
adjective
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of, resembling, or suitable to a son or daughter
filial affection
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F. genetics designating any of the generations following the parental generation; F 1 indicates the first filial generation, F 2 the second, etc
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing filial
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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It's All in the Family
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"
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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.
Also grieving Gerry is his daughter, Early, whose filial devotion clashes with her revulsion at Gerry’s brutality until her eventual epiphany: “I am my father’s daughter.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
So much so that some state media have tried to steer the discussion online towards traditionals concepts of filial piety, urging young people to be more understanding of their parents.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
Hell, most Old Testament patriarchs aren’t as demanding of loyalty and filial supplication as Rupert Murdoch, save for God himself.
From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026
Mrie’s father had other ideas: Their filial obligation was to marry another well-connected Alawite — or risk losing their inheritance.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
A secret kept, in other words, only by the loosest definition, so that now—as I get ready to leak the information myself—I feel only a slight twinge of filial guilt.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
