How to Use paternal in a Sentence

paternal

adjective
Definition of paternalnext
Synonyms for paternalnext
  • He did not neglect his paternal responsibilities after the divorce.
  • He’s talked about how important the series and the paternal bond were to him many times over the years.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2023
  • His paternal grandfather, George, served as mayor of Franklin Township, in the middle of the state, in the 1960s.
    — Clay Risen, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2023
  • Though the mild-mannered Hunt played a paternal role, the Super Bowl wasn’t conceived out of love, but, rather, war.
    — Brad Townsend, Dallas News, 5 June 2023
  • Chaos is created, and then the paternal detective finds the truth and solves it all.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2022
  • Hale is the daughter of Meghan's paternal half-sister, Samantha Markle, who shares the same father as the duchess.
    — Sabrina Park, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 Dec. 2022
  • At the cocktail reception, which took place on the ground floor, Wyden gaped at the portraits of her paternal line that decorate the walls.
    — André-Naquian Wheeler, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2022
  • Meanwhile, her reunion with the paternal side of the family is rife with culture shock.
    — Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2023
  • Even the name, Yasmine, is a nod to Haddad’s paternal grandmother, who still lives in a small village in the mountains above Tripoli.
    — Tim Carman, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2023
  • Blu's paternal grandmother, Karen Rolland, 57, said the boy would have turned 6 last week.
    — Julianne McShane, NBC News, 23 Dec. 2022
  • That was all nice and spicy, but for me as a person, as a woman, to go your entire life up to 38 years old and not even know the name of your whole paternal identity.
    — Breanna Bell, Variety, 11 Sep. 2023
  • His paternal grandfather worked there for one decade, not two.
    — New York Times, 27 Sep. 2023
  • Yet, in the early years, paternal favoritism perhaps encouraged Anne’s refusal to bow to the heir.
    — Simon Usborne, Town & Country, 18 Jan. 2023
  • My daughter was welcomed by her paternal grandparents, but I was told there was no space for me.
    — Elisabet Velasquez, refinery29.com, 15 Sep. 2022
  • Their son, Joseph Corré (the surname was his paternal grandmother’s), was born in 1967.
    — Marisa Meltzer, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2022
  • Her paternal grandmother died from the disease in 2006.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2022
  • In the cells that produce eggs and sperm, the maternal and paternal copies of the chromosomes line up and swap corresponding segments of DNA.
    — Viviane Callier, Quanta Magazine, 8 May 2023
  • According to Sadat, an Afghan court decided that L. would be placed in the care of her paternal uncle.
    — Rozina Ali, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2022
  • Montgomery’s paternal grandparents were left to raise him and his 3-year-old brother at their home in Revere.
    — Laura Crimaldi, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Oct. 2022
  • The police colonel introduced himself, put a paternal hand on Cazes' shoulder, and gave him a knowing look.
    — Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2022
  • The tone throughout Strength is by turns optimistic, rueful, and paternal.
    — Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 17 Nov. 2023
  • The cranberry is a diploid, which means that each cell contains one set of chromosomes from the maternal parent and one set from the paternal parent.
    — Serina Desalvio, Discover Magazine, 18 Nov. 2023
  • He was named after both his father, who worked as a handyman, and paternal grandfather.
    — Penelope Green, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2023
  • The journey to Compton for Colbert’s paternal side of the family was much different.
    — Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023
  • And Eli's father as well as his paternal, maternal, and step-grandfather were named James.
    — Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 15 June 2023
  • His paternal grandfather, Simon Hevesi, had been the chief rabbi of Hungary.
    — Sam Roberts, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023
  • Johnson’s mother and the child’s paternal grandmother stepped in to help, and Johnson was able to continue working.
    — Samantha J. Gross, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Apr. 2023
  • His parents managed to flee with their three children and escape the Holocaust, which would kill his paternal grandfather.
    — James R. Hagerty, WSJ, 19 Jan. 2023
  • At age 11, Alexander moved in with his paternal grandparents.
    — Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 2 June 2023
  • His paternal grandfather, an artilleryman in the Soviet army, lost his parents and three of his brothers in the Holocaust.
    — Time, 7 Dec. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paternal.' 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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