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

Eric and several other men on the family tree have tested positive for the mutation that runs through his paternal grandmother’s line. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026

Scott’s father was an amateur soul musician who bought Scott a drum set for his third birthday; Scott’s paternal grandfather, Waymon Webster, was a band director and music teacher. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 July 2026

The claim comes a week after the county completed an internal investigation and began the process of firing four social workers involved in placing Jaxon with his paternal cousins. — Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 7 July 2026

Today, Andy McCullough makes his grand return from paternal leave to answer your questions in our MLB mailbag. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 1 July 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