Synonyms of father figure

father figure

noun

as in dad

an older man who acts in a paternal role to younger people

The coach was a stern, wise father figure to his players.

Related Words

• dad
• father
• father image
• pop
• old man
• daddy
• pa
• papa
• sire
• patriarch
• pater
• stepfather
• paterfamilias

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of father figure

But that sympathy can’t quite make up for the galling fact of Nelson’s sons, now teenagers stuck in limbo as a father figure stubbornly insists on courting further ruin. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026

Linney’s Guardian tries to draw out some resentment from her new candidate, but John expresses (or feigns) sympathy for Hal, who was betrayed by his father figure Sinestro, an experience John likens to his own complicated upbringing. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026

Instead, Cameron chose to make his original Terminator the reprogrammed hero of the sequel, serving as a mechanical father figure to a young John Connor (Edward Furlong). — ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026

Picking him up from the airport in Miami was DME Academy’s director of soccer Todd Eason, a man who would become a father figure for a boy being pulled in every which direction. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026