Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

father-out-law

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 5.03 in modern English

Syllables: fa-ther-out-law
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

4

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The father of one's boyfriend or girlfriend.

noun

The father of any of one's friends.

noun

The father of one's ex-spouse.

Example Sentences

"One day, in an argument with his wife, Haydar, he made a terrible mistake. He refused to acknowledge Henock Beamare as his father-in-law. Instead, he referred to him as his father-out-law."
"In the absence of the father in his role as father-in-law to Malone, the would be son-in-law comes under the direction of another father figure, the scientist Challenger, who rather than a substitute father-in-law can more pertinently be seen as a father-out-law."
"With this exit of the normal father, the would-be son-in-law ends up in the hands of a kind of father-out-law;, Challenger whose science will lead the young man to the fantasy space and the king of the ape-men."

Etymology

From father + -out-law, by analogy to father-in-law.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: father

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Law.

Inflected Forms

fathers-out-law (plural)

Phrases

brother-out-law daughter-out-law mother-out-law sister-out-law son-out-law

Frequently Paired Words

brother-out-law daughter-out-law mother-out-law sister-out-law son-out-law father-in-law

Questions

What does father-out-law mean?: The father of one's boyfriend or girlfriend.
Where does father-out-law come from?: From father + -out-law, by analogy to father-in-law.

How to pronounce father-out-law

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “father-out-law”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “father-out-law”.
Repeat and practice — Say “father-out-law” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.