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paternal

[puh-tur-nl] / pəˈtɜr nl /


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.

“It somehow felt like it was upper-class,” Nana, my paternal grandmother, recently told me.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026

In the process, they identified 15 living male descendants linked directly through the paternal line to Leonardo's father and his half-brother, Domenico Benedetto.

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

John Nolan, a veteran British stage and screen actor and the paternal uncle of filmmakers Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, has died at 87.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

Mr. Cheadle matches the subdued gravity of Ms. Edebiri’s turn, although his tender solicitude has an affecting paternal pride and warmth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

He remembers when his paternal grandfather died, sometime in the seventies, remembers his mother screaming when she walked in on his father, who was shaving off all his hair with a disposable razor.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri




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