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Glite Dictionary
🤱 In a motherly way 🧬 From the mother
maternally

maternally

1 4.1
In a caring, protective way like a mother with her children
  • adverb
  • /məˈtɜrnəli/
: maternalmente
  • She maternally tucks him into bed and quietly leaves the room.
  • smile maternally

So it encourages an adaptive response to whether it's aggressive or sexual or for women breastfeeding or, you know, maternally oriented.

Examples

  • She held his hand maternally, offering comfort and warmth.

  • She smiled broadly, maternally.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • She'd held his hand maternally.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Maxine smiles maternally, gets up, and puts a blanket over him.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • One more shows me ministering quite maternally to a doll cradled in my arms.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Auntie Mater beamed maternally.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • She places her elbows on the clean table, leans toward him, lowers her voice conspiratorially, maternally, and says, "Tell me what's really the matter."

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The teacher spoke to her students maternally, providing guidance and support.

  • As she tucked her child into bed, she stroked his hair maternally, whispering sweet dreams.

Synonyms

fondly
vsmaternally
39 1.5

In a warm way that shows liking or love

expresses care from a maternal role rather than mild personal liking
lovingly
vsmaternally
38 1.0

In a kind and caring way that shows strong feeling for someone

expresses care from a mother's role rather than pure affection intensity
parentally
vsmaternally
1 6.7

In a way like a mother or father cares for their child

is specific to the way a mother cares and protects her child

How Maternal

maternally
1 4.1
tenderly
22 1.6
gently
324 1.0
reservedly
1 7.4
coldly
17 4.0

Surface Forms

maternally positive

Morphology

maternally = maternal (transparent) = maternal + ly

Formed by the productive adverbial suffix '-ly' added to the adjective 'maternal', so learners who know 'maternal' will readily infer 'in a motherly manner'.

Etymology

Maternally comes from the Latin root mater, meaning 'mother', and you can see the same idea in mother and maternal. So to act maternally is to act 'like a mother' — caring and protective.