How to Use paternal in a Sentence

paternal

adjective
  • 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
  • The paternal blithe spirit of this book is John B. Yeats.
    — Maureen Corrigan, WSJ, 25 Oct. 2018
  • Over the next eight Olympiads, the paternal (and maternal) Károlyis played pivotal roles in the success of the U.S. team.
    — Tom Taylor, SI.com, 7 Feb. 2018
  • There was a first-cousin match on the paternal line, and a first cousin once removed on the maternal line.
    — Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2024
  • 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
  • The law was the first major challenge to the paternal presumption.
    — Patricia Fersch, Forbes, 4 May 2021
  • On my paternal side, I am born for Naaneesht’ezhi Dine’é, an old Zuni clan, some of whom were sheepherders.
    — Parvannah Lee, Teen Vogue, 22 Nov. 2018
  • Guerrero got to hold his hand for a while, and his paternal grandmother got to hold him as well.
    — Fox News, 8 Mar. 2018
  • As Ledecky's paternal uncle, the swimmer is a proud fan of the pro hockey team, while her uncle is a fan of hers.
    — Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 21 June 2024
  • And Hank was buried on top of his paternal uncle, who died at age 26 in a car accident.
    — Gina Kolata Kim Raff, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
  • And how paternal micro-RNAs come to be in an egg is a mystery, for the sperm that would have to carry them there are tiny and have no spare room.
    — The Economist, 22 Feb. 2018
  • The younger De Benedettis were taken aback by the paternal foray.
    — The Economist, 14 Nov. 2019
  • But two of his second cousins, one on his paternal side and one on his maternal side, had.
    — Heather Murphy, New York Times, 1 July 2019
  • 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
  • Alasia has two sons, a five year old and a three year old, who live with their paternal grandparents.
    — Andrea Cavallier, NBC News, 3 May 2021
  • Research on the impact of paternal leave might offer a clue.
    — Charisse Jones, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2020
  • That wasn’t true: My paternal grandparents helped raise me and loved me deeply, as did my father who was unaware of the abuse.
    — Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2020
  • He’s not Ward Cleaver, the perfect father, the paternal ideal.
    — Bill Goodykoontz, azcentral, 19 June 2020
  • Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Peacock’s paternal grandmother also was a Shields.
    — Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al, 28 Apr. 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
  • Russell talks of getting ice cream with his father, but the film paints a paternal longing.
    — Michael Cavna, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2020
  • Blu's paternal grandmother, Karen Rolland, 57, said the boy would have turned 6 last week.
    — Julianne McShane, NBC News, 23 Dec. 2022
  • But, when Hicks made that crack about Cohen, his mouth broke out into a crooked little paternal smile.
    — Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 4 May 2024
  • Police said the laboratory was able to isolate the paternal DNA.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2025
  • In truth, Elisabeth grew up with a ne’er-do-well father who saw himself as an adventurer more than a paternal figure.
    — Elizabeth Djinis, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2025

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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