1. relating to or involving the killing of one’s father
Usage: formal; literary

Examples

• The play explores patricidal themes through the protagonist’s complex relationship with his father.
• Ancient Greek tragedies often featured patricidal plots.
• The detective suspected patricidal motives in the wealthy businessman’s death.
• Hamlet’s patricidal impulses drive much of the drama in Shakespeare’s play.
• The novel examines the psychological roots of patricidal fantasies.
• Literary critics analyzed the patricidal symbolism in the author’s work.