paternal
Americanadjective
-
characteristic of or befitting a father; fatherly.
a kind and paternal reprimand.
-
of or relating to a father.
-
related on the father's side.
one's paternal grandfather.
-
derived or inherited from a father.
paternal traits.
adjective
-
relating to or characteristic of a father, esp in showing affection, encouragement, etc; fatherly
-
(prenominal) related through the father
his paternal grandfather
-
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
The older girl hides her face, but her sister keeps watching as a paternal figure explains the physics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026
His paternal grandparents, Max and Minnie Moritz, were among swathes of relatives killed during the Holocaust.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
“May they haf oranges and figs?” asked Mr. Bhaer, with a paternal air.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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.
