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

paternally

pə-ˈtər-nᵊl-ē 

adverb

Examples of paternal in a Sentence

He did not neglect his paternal responsibilities after the divorce.

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2019 Jakes launched Jakes Divinity School, named for his paternal grandfather and namesake, Thomas Dexter Jakes. —Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 June 2026

His paternal grandparents came from the village of Marzi, in the province of Cosenza, and his maternal family hails from Cittanova, in the province of Reggio Calabria. —Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 June 2026

His paternal grandparents came from the village of Marzi in the province of Cosenza, and his maternal family hails from Cittanova in the province of Reggio Calabria. —Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 8 June 2026

Head starred as Giles on the supernatural cult-favorite series, serving as a paternal mentor to Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 5 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin paternalis, from Latin paternus paternal, from pater

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for paternal

• diurnal
• eternal
• external
• fraternal
• infernal
• internal
• maternal
• nocturnal
• pimpernel
• colonel
• journal
• kernel

Kids 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

paternally

-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

Etymology

from Latin paternalis "fatherly," from earlier paternus (same meaning), from pater "father" — related to padre, patron, pattern