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
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(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.
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
His paternal grandparents, Max and Minnie Moritz, were among swathes of relatives killed during the Holocaust.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
From coastal Jableh, her paternal family’s home, she recalls the aromas of “flavored hookah smoke, nuts toasting on carts, and boiled sweet corn.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
Sam Dalrymple has real Raj pedigree, his paternal grandfather being Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple, the aide-de-camp to Frank Messervy, the first commander in chief of the army of independent Pakistan.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
He is attentive and tender toward Marlena, and kindly and paternal toward Rosie.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
