motherless
/'mʌðəlis/
Definition
Adjective: * Having no living or known mother: Describes a person, typically a child, whose mother has died or whose mother is absent and unknown.
Usage
The adjective "motherless" directly modifies a noun to describe the state of lacking a mother. It is most commonly used to describe children but can apply to individuals of any age.
Examples
- Adjective:
- The orphanage cared for many motherless children.
- He felt a deep sense of loneliness, having been motherless since infancy.
- The novel tells the story of a motherless girl finding her place in the world.
Advanced Usage
- Figurative/Extended Use: Can be used in a broader, sometimes metaphorical sense to describe something that lacks a source of nurturing, origin, or care.
- The project felt motherless and adrift after its lead advocate left the company.
Variants and Related Words
- Motherlessness (noun): The state or condition of being without a mother.
- Her childhood was marked by motherlessness and constant change.
Synonyms
- Orphaned (specifically when both parents are deceased, but often used when the mother is deceased).
- Parentless (more general, lacking both parents).
Antonyms
- Mothered
- Having a mother
Notes
- The term often carries strong emotional connotations of loss, vulnerability, or lack of nurturing.
- While "fatherless" is a parallel term, "motherless" is used independently and is not contingent on the father's status.
Adjective
-
having no living or known mother
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