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
Synonym Usage
See fatherly.
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
The word paternal describes anything that has to do with fatherhood, like your dad's paternal habit of giving you advice, always including some "when I was a boy..." tales. Paternal originates from the Old French word of the same spelling, meaning "of a father." For example, your paternal grandparents are your father's parents. (Your mom's parents are your maternal grandparents.) Paternal describes your father specifically, or fatherhood in general, like common paternal activities like father-son fishing trips and making sure the guy who is dating his daughter is respectful and sincere.
Vocabulary lists containing paternal
It's All in the Family
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Not Your Father's Word List: Pater, Patr
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Father's Day Words
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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.
Dewey had chosen California Gov. Earl Warren—my paternal grandfather—as his running mate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
While maternal mortality review committees closely examine the deaths of mothers during the first year of a child's life, the researchers say paternal mortality has received little comparable attention.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
A friend of mine once received paternal advice to retire his collection of personality socks until he had secured a job at a law firm.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Engelsman says all three former presenters were supportive of their successors and "were very paternal and caring about it".
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
His paternal grandfather had made his living handcrafting rowboats for the professional watermen who plied the Thames in London, providing water-taxi and ferry services as their predecessors had done for centuries.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
