fatherly

adjective

fa·ther·ly | \ ˈfä-t͟hər-lē

Definition of fatherly

1 : of, relating to, or befitting a father fatherly responsibilities

2 : resembling a father (as in affection or care) a fatherly old man

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Examples of fatherly in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Behind the scenes, however, former players and staff remember him as a compassionate, fatherly, selfless boss who doted on his people. — Sam Walker, WSJ, "Goodbye Swaggering CEOs; Hello Mr. Rogers," 3 Nov. 2018 Within minutes after hopping off the bus, she was approached by kindly gentlemen offering her protection, fatherly advice, drinks and hotel rooms. — Dawn Mitchell, Indianapolis Star, "True crime: The 'dresser drawer murder' at the Claypool Hotel," 13 July 2018 Two investigators feigning fatherly concern fed Mr. Dassey crucial details and elicited a halting, mumbled and contradictory confession. — Adam Liptak, New York Times, "Was It a False Confession in ‘Making a Murderer’? The Supreme Court May Decide," 11 June 2018 In August 2016, when the two met in a final, in coral-grinding barrels at Teahupoo, Tahiti, Slater did everything but take Florence over his knee for a fatherly spanking on the way to an easy win. — Matt Warshaw, Outside Online, "The Dominance of Kelly Slater," 5 July 2018 There’s non-stop action, though not for faint hearts, and never an unassuming hobbit or fatherly ent by way of relief. — Tom Shippey, WSJ, "Science Fiction: A New Novel Destined to Be a Classic," 28 June 2018 Some paternal lessons have stuck with Don, who tries still to parse the old fatherly instruction for the faintest wisdom. — Julia Ioffe, GQ, "The Real Story of Donald Trump Jr.," 21 June 2018 The realization that life is cyclical is a long view, a fatherly view. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "Dave Matthews Sings to the Next Generation on ‘Come Tomorrow’," 6 June 2018 Those superfluous training wheels now seem like the perfect metaphor for Dad's entire fatherly approach. — Cathy Garrard, Redbook, ""When Your Father Believes in You, You Can Do Anything"," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fatherly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.