maternal
adjective
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Definition of maternal
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Other Words from maternal
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adverb
Examples of maternal in a Sentence
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At age 7, the vivacious, thrill-seeking girl flew on her own to visit her maternal grandparents in Eastern Europe. — Aubrey Whelan, https://www.inquirer.com, "Two friends shared heroin in a KFC bathroom. One died, one went to prison. Their families are picking up the pieces.," 6 June 2019 The 46-year-old Hoiberg was born in Lincoln and maternal grandfather Jerry Bush was the Cornhuskers coach from 1954 to 1963. — Eric Olson, The Seattle Times, "Ex-Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg hired at struggling Nebraska," 30 Mar. 2019 Her maternal grandfather was Whitney M. Young Jr., the president of the National Urban League throughout the turbulent 1960s. — Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, "In Her First Solo Museum Snow, Jordan Casteel’s Humanizing Portraits Get Even Closer," 15 Jan. 2019 In one gorgeous scene, Carol serves Therese a glass of warm milk, a gesture both maternal and erotic. — Megan Abbott, WSJ, "Five Best: Megan Abbott on Novels About Female Friendship," 9 Aug. 2018 Get ready to be charmed, as the rest of us have been, by your maternal grandmother, Doria Ragland, but be careful around anyone whose last name is Markle. — Elizabeth Holmes, Town & Country, "An Open Letter to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's New Royal Baby," 7 May 2019 Throughout the month of May, which is Maternal Mental Health month, Teigen is using her platform to help reduce the stigma surrounding maternal mental health issues. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Chrissy Teigen Wishes More Women Could Open Up About Postpartum Depression," 2 May 2019 Kate, who is currently in her third trimester, visited the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) on Tuesday to learn more about the college’s global health programs aimed to reduce maternal and newborn mortality worldwide. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE.com, "Pregnant Kate Middleton Has Emotional Reunion with Midwife Who Helped Deliver Princess Charlotte," 27 Feb. 2018 My maternal grandmother was a decorator in San Francisco. — Ingrid Abramovitch, ELLE Decor, "Sunrise Ruffalo, Wife of Actor Mark Ruffalo, Launches a Chic Homewares Pop-Up in Los Angeles," 18 Apr. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'maternal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Last Updated
21 Jun 2019
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Time Traveler for maternal
The first known use of maternal was in the 15th century
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More Definitions for maternal
maternal
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of maternal
See the full definition for maternal in the English Language Learners Dictionary
maternal
adjective
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Kids Definition of maternal
maternal
adjective
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Medical Definition of maternal
Other Words from maternal
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adverb
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