वडील हा मानवी कुटुंबातील अपत्याचा पुल्लिंगी जन्मदाता असतो. अपत्याच्या स्त्रीलिंगी जन्मदात्रीस आई म्हणतात. मराठी भाषेत वडिलांना उद्देशून अप्पा, बाबा, अण्णा, दादा, भाऊ असेही संबोधनेही वापरली जातात. बाबाचे प्रेम दिसून येत नाही. वडिलांच्या संबंधांव्यतिरिक्त आपल्या मुलाचे पालक, कायदेशीर आणि सामाजिक नातेसंबंध असावेत ज्यात विशिष्ट अधिकार आणि जबाबदाऱ्या असतात. एखाद्या ज्येष्ठ पित्याकडे त्याच्याकडून उद्भवलेल्या मुलास कायदेशीर बंधने असू शकतात, जसे की आर्थिक मदतीचे बंधन, एक मूलधातूचा म्हणा.

A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological father is the male genetic contributor to the creation of the infant, through sexual intercourse or sperm donation. A biological father may have legal obligations to a child not raised by him, such as an obligation of monetary support. An adoptive father is a man who has become the child's parent through the legal process of adoption. A putative father is a man whose biological relationship to a child is alleged but has not been established. A stepfather is a non-biological male parent married to a child's preexisting parent, and may form a family unit but generally does not have the legal rights and responsibilities of a parent in relation to the child.