fatherless

fatherless — adjective

1. describes a child whose father is not present in their upbringing — whether beca

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describes a child whose father is not present in their upbringing — whether because the father has died, left the household, or never lived with the family.

例句

Anjali grew up in a fatherless household after her father passed away.

The charity provides mentoring for children from fatherless families.

collocation: fatherless families / fatherless households

同義詞
  • orphaned

    means both parents have died, which is a narrower and more severe situation

  • motherless

    describes absence of the mother, not the father — contrast term

文法句型

fatherless + noun

verb + fatherless

用法筆記

This sense covers any situation where the father is absent — death, divorce, abandonment, or the father never being part of the household. It is commonly used in sociological writing and personal narratives.

常見錯誤

❌After both parents died, the boy became a fatherless child.
✅After both parents died, the boy became an orphan.
💡'fatherless' only means the father is absent, not both parents.

2. refers to a child whose biological father is not named, not known, or not legall

2.形容詞C1
釋義

refers to a child whose biological father is not named, not known, or not legally recognised as a parent — a meaning that appears mainly in historical or legal contexts.

例句

In nineteenth-century records, a fatherless child had fewer inheritance rights.

historical/legal register

The old baptism log listed several infants as fatherless, with no father's name entered.

同義詞
  • illegitimate

    older and now considered offensive term for a child born to unmarried parents; avoided in modern language

  • of unknown parentage

    a neutral, formal phrase covering both parents, not just the father

文法句型

fatherless + noun

用法筆記

This sense is restricted to historical documents, parish registers, and older legal texts. In contemporary English the first sense (ABSENT FATHER) is far more common.

常見錯誤

❌She never knew her father, so she called herself fatherless.' (in modern conversation)
✅She never knew her father, so she grew up without a father figure.
💡In modern speech, using 'fatherless' for this meaning can sound outdated or judgmental.