filial

adjective fil·ial \ ˈfi-lē-əl , ˈfil-yəl \

Definition of filial

1 :of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter

filial obedience

filial love

2 :having or assuming the relation of a child or offspring

The new village has a filial relationship with the original settlement.

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filially

play \ˈfi-lē-ə-lē, ˈfil-yə-lē\ adverb

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filial was our Word of the Day on 08/11/2016. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of filial from the Web

Many of their songs promote traditional values such as social harmony and filial piety.

— michael holtz, The Christian Science Monitor, "Eying next generation of patriots, Beijing propaganda tries a new look," 26 Aug. 2017
Clemmons’s unusual exploration of filial grief occasionally feels like an evasion of grief.

— amy weiss-meyer, The Atlantic, "What We Lose: A Striking Novel About Filial Grief," 1 Aug. 2017
The most emotionally engaging of these accounts centers on Harry Harlow (Mr. Cox), who separates infant monkeys (the rest of the cast) from their mothers to define the nature of filial attachment.

— ben brantley, New York Times, "Review: Thinking Outside (and Inside) B.F. Skinner’s Box," 11 July 2017
Many Chinese also see Confucian values in her decision to convert to Judaism for her husband and in her filial defense of her father, despite his latent misogyny.

— charlie campbell / beijing, Time, "Why America's First Daughter Is a Hit In China," 30 June 2017
With bin Laden’s filial heir and ideological successors firmly back in the fold, and the group’s affiliates making territorial gains in Yemen and elsewhere, Al-Qaeda once again has the means and the opportunity to attack.

— ali soufan, Newsweek, "Hamza bin Laden, Osama’s Son, Is Helping Al-Qaeda Stage a Deadly Comeback," 19 June 2017
And so the city changes — not back to the past but into something made up of ideas from the past — of filial piety, respect for authority, traditional religions, but also privilege for the rich.

— ian johnson, New York Times, "My Beijing: The Sacred City," 1 May 2017
A Chinese official told me that Kushner is the man his ambassador tries to see; this filial approach is more appropriate to Chinese-style governance than to democracy in America.

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "100 days of foreign policy confusion and incoherence," 28 Apr. 2017
In fact, the fearless modernist still lived with her mother, in a small apartment in Brooklyn, in a relation that had the appearance of deep filial devotion.

— adam davidson, The New Yorker, "Elizabeth Bishop’s Art of Losing," 6 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'filial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

filial Has Familial Origins

Filial is descended from Latin filius, meaning "son," and filia, meaning "daughter," and in English (where it has been used since at least the 14th century) it has always applied to both sexes. The word has long carried the dutiful sense "owed to a parent by a child," as found in such phrases as "filial respect" and "filial piety." These days it can also be used more generally for any emotion or behavior of a child to a parent. You might suspect that filia is also the source of the word filly, meaning "a young female horse" or "a young girl," but it isn't. Rather, filly is from Old Norse fylja.

Origin and Etymology of filial

Middle English, from Late Latin filialis, from Latin filius son — more at feminine

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

FILIAL Defined for English Language Learners

filial

adjective

Definition of filial for English Language Learners

: of or relating to a son or daughter : appropriate for a son or daughter

FILIAL Defined for Kids

filial

adjective fil·ial \ ˈfi-lē-əl , ˈfil-yəl \

Definition of filial for Students

:relating to or suitable for a son or daughter

filial affection

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Spanish Central: Translation of filial Nglish: Translation of filial for Spanish speakers

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filial

Definition of filial

filially

filial was our Word of the Day on 08/11/2016. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of filial from the Web

filial Has Familial Origins

Origin and Etymology of filial

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FILIAL Defined for English Language Learners

filial

Definition of filial for English Language Learners

FILIAL Defined for Kids

filial

Definition of filial for Students

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filial

Definition of filial

filially

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filial was our Word of the Day on 08/11/2016. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of filial from the Web

filial Has Familial Origins

Origin and Etymology of filial

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filial

Definition of filial for English Language Learners

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