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Maternity and Parts of Speech
Maternity is used as both a noun and an adjective. Maternity benefits are benefits specially provided by employers for women having babies, and usually include maternity leave, time off work. With maternity come maternal feelings, which are shown by all species of warm-blooded animals as well as a few reptiles such as crocodiles and alligators.
Synonyms
Examples of maternity in a Sentence
BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
Right about when Time was preparing that giddy announcement, three women whose ovaries and uteruses were involved in passing down the madcap man-god’s genes were in the maternity ward of a hospital in Austin.
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
Kourtney Kardashian is back to showing off her edgy maternity style after her recent health scare.
—Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 10 Sep. 2023
In addition to candidly discussing her personal weight struggles on the podcast, Osbourne also delved into the topic of society's unattainable standards for maternity fashion and the transformative impact Rihanna's pregnancy has had on the industry.
—Sandra Rose Salathe, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2023
Finally, Joey wears Phoebe's maternity pants and declares them his Thanksgiving pants.
—House Beautiful, 7 Sep. 2023
In Tennessee, where one-third of counties are considered maternity care deserts, Dr. Leilah Zahedi-Spung, a maternal-fetal specialist, decided to move to Colorado not long after the Dobbs ruling.
—Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2023
These are an ideal option for any activity, whether that means travel days, long-distance runs, or maternity wear.
—Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Sep. 2023
The universal maternity care payment is already too small, so there is no room left for breastfeeding and baby feeding support, which is a clinical specialty.
—Andrea Ippolito, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2023
Stacey Nguyen, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2023
Here’s a taste of her maternity style—which is pretty much the same as her non-maternity style.
—Whitney Perry, Glamour, 30 Oct. 2020
Handbooks often include baby announcements, guidance mid and post-maternity leave communication, a comprehensive list of return-to-work options, mother’s rooms, and additional benefits and resources available.
—Christine Michel Carter, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2023
Rather, the pregnant singer pulled another sensational non-maternity look out of the bag for a Fenty Beauty launch in LA.
—Kerry McDermott, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2022
There are plenty of non-maternity options in flowy silhouettes that work just as well.
—Vogue, 1 Oct. 2021
Some of the young and their mothers continue to follow the trail of blooms to a post-maternity cave in the southwestern corner of New Mexico.
—Janet Marinelli, Wired, 19 Feb. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maternity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing maternity
Dictionary Entries Near maternity
Cite this Entry
“Maternity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maternity. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
maternity
1 of 2 noun
maternity
2 of 2 adjective
Medical Definition
maternity
1 of 2 noun
maternity
2 of 2 adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on maternity
Nglish: Translation of maternity for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of maternity for Arabic Speakers
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