fatherly

adjective

fa·​ther·​ly ˈfä-t͟hər-lē 

1

: of, relating to, or befitting a father

fatherly responsibilities

2

: resembling a father (as in affection or care)

a fatherly old man

fatherliness

ˈfä-t͟hər-lē-nəs 

noun

fatherly adverb

Examples of fatherly in a Sentence

He took a fatherly interest in the careers of younger writers.

Recent Examples on the Web

The two then had a sweet chat about Mikayla's sourdough progress complete with fatherly encouragement about her starter. —Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025

But Pascal, for all the twinkle in his eye, often plays relatively sexless characters — from the fatherly energy of The Last of Us to the ascetic qualities of The Mandalorian. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 June 2025

Indeed, Eugenio, whose large-scale figurative paintings have been exhibited across Europe, Latin America, and the US, exerts a fatherly influence across the campo. —Alessandra Schade, Vogue, 7 June 2025

In fact, that fatherly presence even extended to their time together during a press trip to Japan for the 1989 classic. —Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 29 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fatherly

adjective

fa·​ther·​ly ˈfät͟h-ər-lē 

ˈfȧt͟h-

1

: of or resembling a father

fatherly responsibilities

2

: showing the affection or concern of a father

fatherly advice

fatherliness noun