paternal
relating to a father or fatherhood
Connected with a father or with being a father.
paternal [noun]
- The company introduced generous paternal leave for new fathers.
- He struggled with the legal responsibilities that came with his new paternal status.
- Her research focuses on the effects of advanced paternal age on child health.
- The court had to decide whether his paternal rights had been violated.
- Paternal love can look different from person to person, but it is often deeply protective.
- He is very proud of his new paternal role.
- The law talks about both maternal and paternal rights.
- Many countries now offer paternal leave after a baby is born.
- Paternal love is very important for a child.
- The doctor asked about the father’s paternal medical history.
from or on the father’s side
From the father’s side of the family, or passed down from the father.
paternal [relative]
- Her paternal grandmother lived with them for many years.
- Most of his traits are said to come from his paternal side.
- They traced the title through the paternal line back to the 18th century.
- Genetic tests confirmed a mutation on the paternal chromosome.
- He has dual citizenship through his paternal ancestry.
- My paternal grandparents live in another country.
- She looks more like her paternal family.
- We visited my paternal uncle last weekend.
- The disease comes from the paternal side of the family.
- He is very close to his paternal grandmother.
kind and protective like a father
Acting in a kind and protective way like a father, even if the person is not a real father.
paternal [attitude/behavior/gesture]
- He felt a strong paternal instinct toward the younger members of the team.
- Her boss’s paternal attitude sometimes made her feel more like a daughter than an employee.
- The coach took a quietly paternal role with the new players.
- His paternal concern for the students went far beyond his formal duties.
- Although he had no children, there was something deeply paternal in the way he looked after his neighbors.
- He has a very paternal way of talking to the students.
- I felt his paternal care when he helped me move house.
- The teacher showed a paternal concern for the children.
- She sees him as a paternal figure in her life.
- His paternal instinct made him want to protect the child.
- Base: paternal
paternal figure
1person who plays a father-like role
Someone who is not your real father but cares for you and guides you like a father.
- After his father died, his uncle became a paternal figure to him.
- She saw her teacher as a paternal figure during her teenage years.
paternal grandmother
1grandmother on the father’s side
Your father’s mother.
- My paternal grandmother taught me how to cook.
- Her paternal grandmother moved to the city when she was young.
paternal grandparents
1grandparents on father’s side
Your father’s parents.
- I spent every summer with my paternal grandparents.
- Both of his paternal grandparents were born overseas.
paternal instinct
1natural fatherly desire to care
A strong natural feeling in a man that makes him want to protect and care for a child like a father.
- He said his paternal instinct surprised him when his son was born.
- Her brother’s paternal instinct came out when he held the baby.
paternal leave
1work leave for new fathers
Time away from work that a father is allowed to take after a baby is born or adopted.
- He took two weeks of paternal leave when his daughter was born.
- The new policy extends paternal leave to part‑time workers.
paternal line
1family line through the father
The line of your family that is followed from father to child over many generations.
- In that culture, names are passed down through the paternal line.
- They traced the paternal line back several centuries.
paternal love
1love from a father to a child
The special kind of love that a father has for his child.
- The film explores paternal love in difficult circumstances.
- Paternal love can be shown in many different ways.
paternal side (of the family)
1relatives on the father’s side
The part of your family that is related to you through your father.
- Most of my paternal side of the family still lives in the same village.
- She looks a lot like the women on her paternal side.