motherless
Lacking maternal parent
Motherless describes someone whose mother has died or is absent: a motherless child raised by relatives.
The word carries connotations of vulnerability and loss.
In Australian slang, motherless intensifies adjectives, especially in motherless broke—completely without money.
Child whose parents died
- parentlessHaving no mother or father
- fatherlessWithout a male parent
- foundlingAbandoned child discovered
- abandonedLeft behind completely
ward · adoptee · fostered · displaced · homeless · child · dependent · custody
Deprived by death
- bereftDeprived through loss
- mourningPeriod following loss
- lossBeing without something
- sorrowDeep emotional distress
heartache · anguish · longing · yearning · emptiness · desolation · woe · forlorn
Without others present
- lonelyWanting companionship
- isolatedSeparated from others
- unaccompaniedWithout others present
- independentFree from external control
self-reliant · detached · unaided · autonomous · lone
Without safeguard or shield
- unsupportedLacking backing or proof
- neglectedNot given proper attention
- defenselessWithout means to resist
- helplessUnable to act independently
uncared-for · unnurtured · exposed · at-risk · disadvantaged · deprived · forsaken
orphan
Child whose parents died
- parentlessHaving no mother or father
- fatherlessWithout a male parent
- foundlingAbandoned child discovered
abandoned · ward · adoptee · fostered · displaced · homeless · child · dependent · custody · guardianship
bereaved
Deprived by death
sorrow · heartache · anguish · longing · yearning · emptiness · desolation · woe · forlorn · grieving
alone
Without others present
- lonelyWanting companionship
- isolatedSeparated from others
- unaccompaniedWithout others present
independent · self-reliant · detached · unaided · autonomous · lone
unprotected
Without safeguard or shield
- unsupportedLacking backing or proof
- neglectedNot given proper attention
- defenselessWithout means to resist
helpless · uncared-for · unnurtured · exposed · at-risk · disadvantaged · deprived · forsaken
- family lossorphan, fatherless, parentless, abandonment, death of parent