filicide

noun

fil·​i·​cide ˈfi-lə-ˌsīd How to pronounce filicide (audio)
Synonyms of filicidenext
: the murder or killing of one's own daughter or son

Examples of filicide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Yet many studies have found that most women who commit filicide have, like Nakira, never been in trouble with the law before. — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026 Clancy’s case could be classified as filicide — a parent killing their own children — or a triple homicide. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026 Each year in the United States there are nearly 500 arrests for filicide – which is the legal term for when parents kill their children – according to an analysis of FBI data by Forensic Science International. — Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026 More rare are filicides of the sort Elkins allegedly committed. — Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for filicide

Word History

Etymology

Latin filius son & filia daughter + English -cide

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of filicide was in 1665

Rhymes for filicide

See All Rhymes for filicide

Browse Nearby Words

filicidal
filicide
filiciform
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Filicide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filicide. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on filicide

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for filicide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All