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.
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
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
Preserving the body is considered an important aspect of filial piety within the context of Confucianism, and that precept encourages long hair, forbids suicide and is interpreted as prohibiting tattoos.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2023
I stopped, unwilling to make my first foray into filial disobedience w'ith one who faced her Maker—but could not refrain from saying, “I ask you not to tell me children’s tales of panthers pulling chariots.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
