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

Jed was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Marvin and Marion Field; maternal grandmother, Mary Anderberg; uncle, Brian Anderberg. —Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025

His paternal care and the strain of each sacrifice he’s pushed to make grant him a heartbreaking gravitas amidst his sense of impending doom. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Feb. 2025

The lawyer explained that the family had to file a lawsuit in 2019 to reach this recognition, but the request was initially denied by the local court, who ruled that the change in paternal custody would only be possible through adoption, CNN Brasil reported. —Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 30 Jan. 2025

Gomez, whose paternal grandparents emigrated from Mexico, initially posted a video to her Instagram Stories on Monday, sobbing amid the mass deportations initiated by President Donald Trump over the weekend. —Doha Madani, NBC News, 30 Jan. 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

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