avuncular

[uh-vuhng-kyuh-ler]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR avuncular ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of an uncle: avuncular affection.

Nearby words

Origin of avuncular

1825–35; < Latin avuncul(us) a mother's brother, equivalent to av(us) a forefather + *-ont- + *-l(os) diminutive suffix (cf. uncle) + -ar¹

Related formsa·vun·cu·lar·i·ty, nouna·vun·cu·lar·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for avuncular

FDR gives an avuncular grin around his famous cigarette holder to Andrew Jackson.
The 100 Coolest Americans Gather at the National Portrait Gallery|William O’Connor|February 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“You paid good money for this,” says the Vacuum Cleaner Guy (brilliantly played by an avuncular but ruthless Robert Forster).
‘Granite State,’ the Penultimate Episode of ‘Breaking Bad,’ Is Walter White’s Final Act|Andrew Romano|September 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
From Cairo, Ashraf Khalil reports on the clash between an aggressive Amr Moussa and avuncular Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh.
Moussa, Aboul Fotouh Spar in Egypt’s Epic First Presidential Debate|Ashraf Khalil|May 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Even more polite than Jay, Brian Leveson gives off the avuncular air of a kindly head master.
Curtains for Murdoch|Peter Jukes|April 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST

People have described Elena Kagan in many ways: “Avuncular” is not one of them.
A Justice With Boundaries|Tunku Varadarajan|April 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST
I shall not need Terence or Juvenal till we come back, and I'll leave them in the avuncular hands till then.'
Lord Kilgobbin|Charles Lever
Such was the artful scheme by which the tyrant originally got possession of the subsequent victim of avuncular cruelty.
The Comic History Of England|Gilbert Abbott A'Beckett
Flora lingering at her avuncular pleasures, she herself went to the closet and took down a dress.
V. V.'s Eyes|Henry Sydnor Harrison
My secretary had been elevated to avuncular rank after a probation of just three hours.
The Right Stuff|Ian Hay
Her mahogany was avuncular; her china remotely ancestral; her feather beds and her bedsteads!
Certain Personal Matters|H. G. Wells

British Dictionary definitions for avuncular

avuncular

adjective

of or concerned with an uncle

resembling an uncle; friendly; helpful

Word Origin for avuncular

C19: from Latin avunculus (maternal) uncle, diminutive of avus grandfather

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for avuncular

adj.

1789, from Latin avunculus "maternal uncle," diminutive of avus (see uncle) + -ar. Used humorously for "of a pawnbroker" (uncle was slang for "pawnbroker" from c.1600 through 19c.).