as in nurturing
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parental
Adjective
-
Octavia Spencer was really leaning into those maternal instincts after playing the titular role in Ma.—
Mekishana Pierre,
EW.com,
12 Aug. 2025 -
By 2017, the maternal mortality rate for young millennial women had more than doubled since the baby-boomer generation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Ryan spent that day with his paternal grandparents.—
Georgina DiNardo,
NBC news,
19 July 2025
-
Indeed, the white streak runs in Lightly's paternal side of the family, and Lightly is thought to be the seventh or eighth generation with it.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Since Rhodes stirs such motherly feelings in her fans, she’s partnered with M&M’s for their M&M’S PB&J Packed Lunch Special, a free packed lunch that 500 fans in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, Texas and Nashville, Tenn. can get on July 29.—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
28 July 2025
-
Suddenly, a sound cue and a shift from white to blue lighting indicate a leap in time, and this woman begins to relive a mundane interaction with her two young children, Leanne and Danny, while speaking to thin air and miming her motherly motions.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
The two then had a sweet chat about Mikayla's sourdough progress complete with fatherly encouragement about her starter.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 June 2025
-
But Pascal, for all the twinkle in his eye, often plays relatively sexless characters — from the fatherly energy of The Last of Us to the ascetic qualities of The Mandalorian.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
9 June 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Parental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parental. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share