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Glite Dictionary
motherlike

motherlike

3.8
Kind and protective like a caring parent
  • adjective
  • /ˈmʌðərˌlaɪk/
translation icon : maternal
  • He approached the task with a motherlike gentleness, ensuring the children felt supported.

Examples

  • Her motherlike nurturing made everyone feel safe and cared for.

  • Well, a motherlike figure.

    Ella Enchanted (2004)

  • The teacher had a motherlike quality, always offering support and encouragement to her students.

Synonyms

maternal
vsmotherlike
55 3.8

Showing care and kindness like a mother

emphasizes active protective and caring actions rather than relation only
motherly
vsmotherlike
16 2.3

Showing warm, gentle care like a parent

is more about general protective or typical parent behavior
maternalistic
vsmotherlike
7.3

Being caring and protective like a mother

is broader describing general caring or kind qualities rather than instinct alone

Antonyms

nonmaternal
7.0

Not showing the usual caring feelings or behavior of a mother

How Motherly

doting
6.8
motherly
16 2.3
motherlike
3.8
parental
148 3.4

Surface Forms

motherlike positive

Morphology

motherlike = mother (transparent) = mother + like

Formed by the noun 'mother' plus the productive adjectival suffix '-like' meaning 'having qualities of a mother', which is straightforward for learners.

Etymology

Motherlike is made from mother and the ending -like, where -like means 'similar to'. So motherlike means 'similar to a mother', which is why we use it for someone who is kind, caring, or protective in the way a mother is.