Synonyms of maternal

maternal

adjective

mə-ˈtər-nᵊl 

as in mother

of, relating to, or characteristic of a mother

her maternal instincts told her that something was wrong

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mother
• parental
• feminine
• motherly
• female
• womanly
• caring
• matronly
• nurturing
• matriarchal
• womanlike
• womanish
• giving

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of maternal

The defense’s most helpful witness on this front was the forensic psychiatrist Phillip Resnick, who has spent more than half a century studying maternal infanticide. — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Perhaps Lacey simply saw a culminating event at the end of a book that should have no culmination, and equated maternal affection with resolution. — Catherine G. Wagley, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Prosecutors have argued that the Clancy case is not a referendum on maternal mental health, contrary to how it's been seen by some members of the public. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

The increase can’t be easily explained by any single cause, says Sarah Kilpatrick, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. — Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026