Synonyms for father
Most common
dad papa patriarch forefather founder inventor grand-daddy elder
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Dad
dad, daddy informal, patriarch, papa, old man informal, forefather, ancestor, pappy informal, pater formal, pa informal, progenitor, pop informal US, pops informal US, knocker-upper, pap informal, sire dated, governor informal dated
2. Founder
founder, parent, inventor, founding father, author, creator, maker, originator, beginner
Other
elder, grand-daddy, padre, aba, begetter
Definitions
- n. 1
A male parent, especially of a human; a male who parents a child (which he has sired, adopted, fostered, etc.).
My friend Tony just became a father.
- n. 2
A male ancestor more remote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor.
Related words
Forms
- Plural
- fathers → dads, daddies, patriarchs, papas…
Example sentences
- dad Wha- Dad! What is this?! You said nobody was here.
- papa At Papa South, you can eat delicious homestyle food.
- patriarch Ziri is our family's patriarch.
- forefather Abraham was correct and the forefather of many.
- founder He's the founder of a Berber-language association.
- inventor Yes, he is an inventor, if I understood correctly.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| father | rising | |
| dad | rising | |
| papa | rising | |
| patriarch | rising | |
| forefather | rising | |
| founder | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 2 letters
- pa1
- 3 letters
- dad1, pop1, pap1, aba3
- 4 letters
- papa2, pops1, sire2
- 5 letters
- daddy2, maker2, elder2, padre2, pappy, pater2
- 6 letters
- author2, parent2
- 7 letters
- founder2, creator3
- 8 letters
- governor3, inventor3, ancestor3, beginner3, begetter
- 9 letters
- patriarch3
- 10 letters
- originator5, progenitor4, forefather3
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (aba3 = 3 syllables).