unfatherly
Definition
- Adjective: Not characteristic or befitting of a father; lacking the qualities typically associated with a father, such as care, protection, guidance, or affection.
Usage Examples
- (His actions lacked the kindness and responsibility expected of a father.)
- (She considered his lack of involvement to be inappropriate for a father.)
Advanced Usage
- "unfatherly conduct": actions that violate the moral or social expectations of a father.
- The court criticized his unfatherly conduct, which included verbal abuse. (The court condemned behavior unbecoming of a father.)
Variants and Related Words
- Fatherly (adj): characteristic of a father; kind, protective, and caring.
- He gave her fatherly advice. (He offered guidance like a father would.)
- Unfatherliness (n): the quality or state of being unfatherly.
- His unfatherliness was evident in his constant absence. (His lack of fatherly qualities was clear.)
Synonyms
- Unpaternal: not typical of a father; lacking paternal traits.
- Unkind: lacking kindness, which is a key fatherly quality.
- Neglectful: failing to provide care or attention, as a father should.
Antonyms
- Fatherly: typical of a father; caring and protective.
- Paternal: relating to or characteristic of a father.
Related Idioms
- Not a father figure: someone who does not serve as a role model or protector like a father.
- His unfatherly attitude meant he was not a father figure to his children. (He did not act as a supportive or guiding presence.)