VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

parental

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/pəˈrentl/
US/pəˈrentl/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Relating to a mother or father, or to being a parent.

    Grammar: Comes before a noun and cannot be graded: parental advice, not very parental.

    Patterns

    • parental consent
    • parental guidance

    Children under sixteen need parental consent to join the trip.

    The film carries a warning that parental guidance is advised.

    Both parents are entitled to parental leave after the baby arrives.

  2. adjectivecomparable

    Showing the kind of care, protection or control that a parent would show.

    Grammar: Can take more or very: a very parental attitude toward the team.

    Patterns

    • parental attitude toward someone

    The coach took a parental interest in the young players.

    Her tone was almost parental when she told him to get some rest.

  3. adjectivebefore a nounbiology

    In biology, describing the generation of animals or plants that produce offspring, or the original cells that divide.

    Grammar: Used in biology: the parental generation, parental cell.

    Patterns

    • parental generation

    The scientists crossed two plants from the parental generation.

    The daughter cells each carry a copy of the parental DNA.

Common combinations

parental leave
She took six months of parental leave.
parental consent
Parental consent is required for school trips.
parental control
He set parental controls on the tablet.
parental responsibility
Both parents share parental responsibility.
parental involvement
Teachers value strong parental involvement.
parental guidance
The program is rated for parental guidance.

Synonyms and how they differ

maternal
Maternal refers only to mothers, while parental can refer to either parent.
paternal
Paternal refers only to fathers, while parental covers both parents.
protective
Protective describes caring behavior but not the relationship, which parental includes.

Opposites

childlike

Word family

parent noun
a mother or father
parent verb
to raise and care for a child
parenthood noun
the state of being a parent
parenting noun
the way someone raises children
parentally adverb
in the manner of a parent

Commonly confused: parental or paternal? parental or parenthetical?

parental vs paternal

Paternal is about a father or the father's side of the family, while parental refers to either parent.

parental vs parenthetical

Parenthetical means placed in brackets as extra information and has no link to parents.

Practice

Which phrase correctly means time off work to look after a newborn?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “parental”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words