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Definition of "fatherly" []

  • Of, like, or appropriate to a father: fatherly love. (adjective)
  • Showing the affection of a father. (adjective)
  • In a manner befitting a father. (adverb)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "fatherly" in a sentence
  • "Ward had been told this by Spinney, who took what he called a fatherly interest in St. Cuthbert's, though it must be an exorbitant kind of interest which makes a man recommend a lot of freshers, or anybody else, to mix punch with champagne and port."
  • "As he watches Tadzio play, Aschenbach feels what he describes as a fatherly sentiment."
  • "And to me they talked in fatherly ways, patronizing my youth and inexperience."