Father-in-laws vs. Fathers-in-law

Father-in-laws

/ˈfɑːðər ɪn lɔːz/

A father-in-law is the father of a person's spouse.

Examples:

He brought his father-in-law fishing last summer.Her father-in-law gifted them a beautiful heirloom.My father-in-law taught me to play chess.

Synonyms:

This word has no synonyms

Antonyms:

This word has no antonyms

Fathers-in-law

/ˈfɑːðərz ɪn lɔː/

The fathers of one's spouse

Examples:

My two fathers-in-law are coming for dinner tonight.The house belongs to Sarah's fathers-in-law jointly.In some cultures, fathers-in-law play a crucial role in family events.

Synonyms:

This word has no synonyms

Antonyms:

stepfathers

Ways to tell them apart:

• Father-in-laws is incorrect because the word in-laws cannot stand alone as a plural form. In-law must always relate to a specific relationship.
• Remember that fathers-in-law refers to multiple fathers who are connected by marriage (multiple father-in-law individuals).
• The pluralization in fathers-in-law occurs with fathers because it's the actual noun being modified.
• Father is the main word in the singular or plural version of this compound noun.
• The inherited relation is pluralized, not the law aspect; thus, fathers-in-law aligns with standard English pluralization rules for compound nouns.