paternal
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.
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
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
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
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
Vocabulary lists containing paternal
It's All in the Family
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Not Your Father's Word List: Pater, Patr
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Father's Day Words
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