Home › Words › U › underparentunderparentunderparent means one who has a subordinate position to the main parent but who takes on some parental responsibilities.EtymologyFrom under- + parent.nounOne who has a subordinate position to the main parent but who takes on some parental responsibilities.e.g.“If Father is the typical male underparent, as he generally is, it is not that he is a failure, except by overparent standards.” — 1978, William Reynolds, The American father, page 210:verbTo provide one's child with insufficient attention and nurturing.e.g.“Do I underparent my child because I am not around enough to give the child what he or she needs?” — 2007, Michael Gurian, Nurture the Nature, page 111:Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).