maternal

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 Canadian study did not contain major errors as Wakefield’s paper did, though some critics argued at the time that it didn’t sufficiently control for confounding factors such as maternal depression.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

Louisiana, which has serious gaps in access to maternity care, had the highest rate of maternal mortality in the nation last year.

From Slate • May 18, 2026

One of those moments came in writing the track “I Remember,” which recounts his childhood in London spent with his maternal grandmother when his parents were touring.

From Salon • May 15, 2026

His maternal grandfather served time in prison for armed robbery, whilst his grandfather on his father's side was a "traditional working-class Tory" who had served in the Navy during the Second World War.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

I suspect that the distinction between a maternal and a paternal instinct is scarcely worth making; the parental instinct, the wish to protect, to further, is not a sex-linked characteristic….

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin