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

According to a new report from TMZ, the couple's youngest daughter, Kaia Rose, 11, is spending the first three weeks of summer with her paternal grandparents in Montana without either of her parents. —Kayla Grant, People.com, 20 June 2025

Its significance in baboons resonates with our intuitions about the value of paternal care in our own species. —Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 18 June 2025

There was no evidence for links between paternal mental distress and adaptive and motor development, the study found. —Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 16 June 2025

The recessive chin and jawline must have been paternal traits. —Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 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