maternal
55
3.8
- adjective
- /məˈtɜrnəl/
:
maternal
- She has always shown a maternal kindness to the children in her neighborhood.
- maternal care
- maternal health
- maternal education
You take over that role, that maternal role as they get older.
- You take over that role, that maternal role as they get older.
- She's addressed maternal and child health.
- I am a very, very maternal person.
- I meant that you go so long with not having like a maternal figure in your life.
- How it is some somebody's values, their creativity, their maternal nature, how loving and kind their heart is.
- She said, Marty, I have to tell you, I'm having very strong, I don't know, maybe maternal feelings toward Rowan.
- And so that opened up thinking about oxytocin in rodent maternal care and a variety of other instances.
- There's no laws restricting it and and there's ways to make sure that maternal care is is absolutely going in the right direction.
- They made me feel like I was being hugged in that maternal way that they filled this hole that I had here.
- And so our ability really to have impact on health throughout the lifespan for sure begins a conception, maternal health and then child health.
- And in more bad news about smoking, maternal cigarette smoking impairs the uptake of some nutrients into breast milk.
Examples
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You used to be very maternal toward me.
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I think your... I think your maternal instincts might be kicking in.
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You take over that role, that maternal role as they get older.
-
I am a very, very maternal person.
-
I meant that you go so long with not having like a maternal figure in your life.
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Maybe it's a maternal thing, you know.
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I have noticed a lack of maternal instinct.
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I must have appealed to her maternal instincts.
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Here I thought you'd get all tender and maternal.
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Why, you positively glow with maternal warmth, Akima.
Synonyms
148
3.4
About a mother or father, including their duties
16
2.3
Showing warm, gentle care like a parent
Being caring and protective like a mother
Kind and protective like a caring parent
Showing care and support that helps someone grow
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
An emotional tie between a mother and her baby that starts after birth
How Maternal
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Maternal comes from the Latin root mater, which means 'mother'. That image of a caring mother helps explain why maternal describes warm, protecting behaviour or kindness like a mother's.