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

Pressley said the Black maternal health crisis is personal to her — her paternal grandmother died in the 1950s giving birth to her uncle. —Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill, 20 Apr. 2025

Still, his father’s love endured, and Basquiat was keen for paternal approval. —Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025

Elsewhere in clips of the series, Nick is mainly shown taking on a paternal role with his siblings, organizing family meals, and helping them with their career aspirations. —Rachel Brodsky, Time, 15 Apr. 2025

According to her memoir, Rosanne chose the middle name Rivers for her firstborn daughter in honor of her paternal grandmother, Carrie Cloveree, whose maiden name was Rivers. —Katie Mannion, People.com, 13 Apr. 2025

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