Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of motherly
For a cuisine with lots of steps, this tip felt like a radical shortcut, given with motherly permission.
—
Bon Appétit Test Kitchen, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Dec. 2025
For six years, in more than 200 episodes, Lockhart dispensed motherly wisdom to young Timmy (Jon Provost), who would engage in less-than-proper behavior or find himself in danger (but never, as the trope suggested, fallen down a well), only to be rescued by his faithful collie.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2025
Lockhart wasn’t out of work for long, quickly moving to another motherly role, the biochemist Maureen Robinson on the 1965-68 series Lost in Space.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
The portrayal appears to suggest that motherly attributes are solely within the realm of being loving, caring, comforting, protective, sheltering, and so on.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motherly
Bon Appétit Test Kitchen, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Dec. 2025
For six years, in more than 200 episodes, Lockhart dispensed motherly wisdom to young Timmy (Jon Provost), who would engage in less-than-proper behavior or find himself in danger (but never, as the trope suggested, fallen down a well), only to be rescued by his faithful collie.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2025
Lockhart wasn’t out of work for long, quickly moving to another motherly role, the biochemist Maureen Robinson on the 1965-68 series Lost in Space.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
The portrayal appears to suggest that motherly attributes are solely within the realm of being loving, caring, comforting, protective, sheltering, and so on.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motherly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motherly
maternal
Adjective
-
Until recently, his only comfort was a large orangutan plush toy that some brilliant member of staff gifted him as a tool for muscle building and maternal replacement.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Kaplan and Jamshidi are riveting here, as Marlene’s coolly confident mask slips away and Joyce’s maternal persona belies a steely inner core.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motherly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motherly. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
