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paternal

[puh-tur-nl] / pəˈtɜr nl /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mr. Cheadle matches the subdued gravity of Ms. Edebiri’s turn, although his tender solicitude has an affecting paternal pride and warmth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Prader-Willi syndrome stems from the loss of function of specific genes on the paternal copy of chromosome 15.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

The parents of Child C, who described their son as a "sunny child", said Bennett had "seemed clumsy but very paternal", which was something they initially liked.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

The others are the author’s paternal grandparents, José María and Petra Peña.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

He remembers when his paternal grandfather died, sometime in the seventies, remembers his mother screaming when she walked in on his father, who was shaving off all his hair with a disposable razor.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri




Vocabulary lists containing paternal