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

Is Mother Nature a fan of Kansas City sports franchises or does the paternal keeper of the weather just have it in for teams from Miami? —Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2025

Isla Rose Earnhardt, 6 Earnhardt and his wife welcomed their first child, daughter Isla Rose Earnhardt, on Apr. 30, 2018 — one day after what would have been her late paternal grandfather’s birthday. —Audrey Schmidt, People.com, 16 Feb. 2025

In her enemies’ eyes, Elizabeth’s cousin Mary—the paternal granddaughter of Henry VIII’s older sister Margaret—was the legitimate English ruler. —Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2025

Shyne, who was raised in Ohio, did not grow up on a farm, but her ancestors did: Her paternal great grandfather owned 300 acres in Louisiana. —Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 25 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

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