How to Use avuncular in a Sentence
avuncular
adjective-
The boss seemed avuncular and boyish, easy to laugh and apt to joke, nibbling his nails and shifting in his chair.
—Time, 25 Jan. 2018
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Bill Quill — his eyes ice-blue and his avuncular face framed by wisps of gray hair — took me on a tour of the place the other afternoon.
—Thomas Farragher, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2018
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The father of Levy’s baby had been a rich friend who’d agreed to help provide for the child and be an avuncular presence in his life.
—Michelle Goldberg, Slate Magazine, 10 Apr. 2017
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But then there’s the show itself, which is so strange and ill-conceived and ill-timed that not even Carell’s avuncular bonhomie can save it.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 May 2020
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The priest looks on, his elbow on the counter, avuncular and affectionate.
—Peter Van Agtmael, Magazine, 8 Dec. 2020
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The idea of the avuncular Corbyn as a potential leader was a joke that even May would laugh at during her stump speeches.
—Tim Ross, Bloomberg.com, 9 June 2017
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Recruits have always loved Sitake and his avuncular style.
—Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 Feb. 2022
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An early host was the avuncular Percy Thrower, who showed up in a starched shirt and tie, and dispensed guidance while puffing on a pipe.
—Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2021
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The avuncular musician known as Calvin ii plucks a guitar like a front-porch elder; the vibe is happy, peaceful.
—Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, 7 May 2018
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Pitch-perfect at the podium, avuncular and gracious with the mid-show interviews.
—BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2021
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The avuncular Ishiba may be the most popular candidate among the general public and the LDP's rank-and-file.
—Fortune, 3 Sep. 2020
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Charles Koch’s avuncular, aw-shucks persona masks his true nature.
—Christopher Leonard, Time, 26 Sep. 2019
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The photos appeared to show quite a lot of tactile, light-hearted banter of the avuncular variety.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 10 July 2023
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The leader of all this non-action is the middle-aged Agent Garrick, a shambolic, avuncular presence with a paunch and a nervous cough.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2021
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Through it all, the avuncular scientist maintained his sense of humor.
—Andrea Stone, Culture, 27 Dec. 2021
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Schumer was in his usual avuncular style, his reading glasses firmly perched on his nose.
—Erik Maza, Town & Country, 14 Mar. 2019
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Some of that is touched on in the friendly advice of an avuncular prisoner, played by rapper Nas, who is also on the producing team.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2018
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Niblock was beloved both for his own work, which began in earnest in the early 1970s, and his avuncular role to fellow artists including Arthur Russell and Glenn Branca.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 9 Jan. 2024
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David and George have embraced him with avuncular zeal, inviting him for home-cooked meals, attending his concerts, discussing the meaning of life.
—Mary Schmich, chicagotribune.com, 16 June 2017
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Doubleday was cast as the avuncular, free-spending fop, while Wilpon was portrayed as a cheap taskmaster who refused to spend big on players.
—David Waldstein, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2020
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Gagliardo himself, an avuncular man in a Polo shirt, tours you through his spartan cellars.
—Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Oct. 2017
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This avuncular, down-for-anything attitude has been part of Giamatti’s charm for a long while.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024
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At 69, Hekmatyar cuts an avuncular and scholarly figure, but his name still strikes fear and horror here.
—Washington Post, 21 May 2017
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Hackett instead cut an avuncular figure in a cardigan sweater vest, sat quietly and a bit hunched over on a tall chair, and shared his vision of the future of transportation.
—Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2018
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The avuncular but hard-nosed Asner also served as a controversial president of the Screen Actors Guild.
—Carmel Dagan, chicagotribune.com, 29 Aug. 2021
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But even the avuncular Peltz cannot outrun his own track record forever as Disney shareholders make their choices.
—Steven Tian, Fortune, 19 Jan. 2023
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The news was at odds with Keillor’s public persona as the gentle, avuncular satirist of Midwestern puritanism.
—Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2021
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Thank goodness Waters got to appear, because his regal, avuncular presence classed up the program to no small degree.
—Morgan Enos, Billboard, 7 Apr. 2018
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The show clearly won’t be the same without his authoritative and avuncular presence.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 28 Sep. 2023
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In affect, twinkly and avuncular, Pence owed something to President Reagan.
—T.a. Frank, Washington Post, 28 June 2023
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'avuncular.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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