paternal
Americanadjective
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characteristic of or befitting a father; fatherly.
a kind and paternal reprimand.
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of or relating to a father.
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related on the father's side.
one's paternal grandfather.
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derived or inherited from a father.
paternal traits.
adjective
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relating to or characteristic of a father, esp in showing affection, encouragement, etc; fatherly
-
(prenominal) related through the father
his paternal grandfather
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inherited or derived from the male parent
Related Words
See fatherly.
Other Word Forms
- nonpaternal adjective
- nonpaternally adverb
- paternally adverb
- unpaternal adjective
- unpaternally adverb
Etymology
Origin of paternal
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Old French paternel, from Late Latin paternālis, equivalent to Latin patern(us) “paternal” ( pater father + -nus adjective suffix) + -ālis -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The parents of Child C, who described their son as a "sunny child", said Bennett had "seemed clumsy but very paternal", which was something they initially liked.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
Like me, my paternal grandfather and my father also held decent white-collar jobs throughout their working lives and invested in the the stock market.
From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026
Writing “Autobiography of Cotton” began with her desire to uncover the truth about her paternal grandparents, whose story she had only gathered bits and pieces of over the years.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
The six-month study analysed Welsh national health records, mortality data and mental health service use, and revealed there was no national system to track or categorise paternal suicide, unlike maternal mortality.
From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025
Because of his late-arriving but intense paternal sense, I was introduced to the most colorful characters in the Black underground.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
