Paternal
[pə'tɜːn(ə)l] or [pə'tɝnl]
Definition
(adj.) characteristic of a father .
(adj.) belonging to or inherited from one's father; 'spent his childhood on the paternal farm'; 'paternal traits' .
Editor: Tod--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Of or pertaining to a father; fatherly; showing the disposition of a father; guiding or instructing as a father; as, paternal care.
(a.) Received or derived from a father; hereditary; as, a paternal estate.
Typed by Cyril
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. [1]. Fatherly.[2]. Hereditary.
Editor: Vlad
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Fatherly, careful, tender, hereditary
ANT:Unfatherly, careless, rough, harsh,[See HEREDITARY]
Checked by Edmond
Definition
adj. fatherly: showing the disposition of a father: derived from a father: hereditary.—n. Pater′nalism.—adv. Pater′nally.—n. Pater′nity state of being a father: fatherhood: the relation of a father to his children: origination or authorship.
Checker: Nathan
Examples
- The lad only answered by turning his cynical young face, half-arch, half-truculent, towards the paternal chair. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Me loves Parpar, said the artful one, preparing to climb the paternal knee and revel in forbidden joys. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- The paternal laugh was echoed by Joseph, who thought the joke capital. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- They sent him parcels, which, when opened, were found to contain the paternal soap and candles. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- She hated him for the seasoned, semi-paternal animalism with which he regarded her, but she admired his weight of strength. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- The Van Osburgh marriage was celebrated in the village church near the paternal estate on the Hudson. Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
- He felt somehow ashamed of this paternal softness and hid it from his wife--only indulging in it when alone with the boy. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Finally, those sentiments dictate the lines--grateful, sympathetic, paternal lines--which appear in this place. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- One last word of affectionate warning, of paternal caution, and I tear myself from the charm of addressing you--I close these fervent lines. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Her early flame, Gurt, had quite vacated the field in favor of his handsome young rival, and now took a paternal interest in the match. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- I can be paternal--no man more so--when I please, and I was intensely paternal on this occasion. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- A few months after he was with his paternal grandfather, Mrs. Sedley died. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- The gloom on the paternal countenance had also impressed George Osborne with anxiety. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
Checker: Nathan