paternal
adjective
pa·ter·nal
pə-ˈtər-nᵊl 
1
a
: of or relating to a father
offered his children some paternal advice
paternal responsibilities
b
: like that of a father
paternal benevolence
2
: received or inherited from one's male parent
lived and worked on his paternal farm
3
: related through one's father
paternal grandfather
Examples of paternal in a Sentence
He did not neglect his paternal responsibilities after the divorce.
Recent Examples on the Web
In a personal tie, her paternal ancestors were the owners of the woollen manufacturer and merchant, William Lupton & Co, which was based in Leeds.
—
Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
There was my mother’s paternal grandfather, owner of 400 acres in South Carolina’s Low Country, murdered under sketchy circumstances, 397 acres of his property stolen from his widow, with no justice whatsoever.
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
In a startling number of instances, women eloped, making their choices before parents could intervene—or even, in Angelica’s case, flying in the face of paternal disapproval.
—Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Jesse Marsch’s paternal instincts kicked in.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paternal
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Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
There was my mother’s paternal grandfather, owner of 400 acres in South Carolina’s Low Country, murdered under sketchy circumstances, 397 acres of his property stolen from his widow, with no justice whatsoever.
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
In a startling number of instances, women eloped, making their choices before parents could intervene—or even, in Angelica’s case, flying in the face of paternal disapproval.
—Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Jesse Marsch’s paternal instincts kicked in.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paternal
Cite this Entry
“Paternal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paternal. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
paternal
adjective
pa·ter·nal
pə-ˈtərn-ᵊl
1
: fatherly
paternal advice
2
: received or inherited from one's father
3
: related through the father
a paternal grandfather
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