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

Tender explorations of paternal bonds, sacrifice, and enduring devotion. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025

Named for his paternal grandfather, James Robin Spence Mitchum was born in Los Angeles on May 8, 1941. —Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025

Instead, when paternal telomeres were long and maternal telomeres were short, the embryo’s telomere elongated rapidly. —New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2025

During the birthday celebrations for the Grand Queen Dowager Inju (Seo Yi-sook), Lee Heon’s paternal grandmother, Jesan orchestrates the arrival of evidence regarding the truth behind Heon’s mother’s death. —Kayti Burt, Time, 29 Sep. 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