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

And for Curt Cignetti, that paternal rivalry (spoiler alert) might have felt somewhat close to real. —Jason Kirk, New York Times, 5 May 2026

Mira asked, holding up her paternal grandfather. —Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

Adams’ paternal grandparents, Dan and Debbie, attended that game and his MLS debut on Saturday. —Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026

The inside of his suit paid homage to his hometown and the house on 50th Street where his paternal grandmother, Connie Bain, lived and the family often gathered. —Rick Stroud, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026

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