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Definition
relating to a mother; or characteristic of parents — such as to care for and help to develop- She radiated a warm maternal affection for her niece.
maternal = characteristic of a mother — such as wanting to care for and help to develop
- maternal genes
- In pushing for a global campaign to reduce maternal deaths, it's crucial to avoid exaggerated claims.Nicholas D. Kristof -- Half the Sky
- my maternal grandmother
- ...the maternal instinct was very strong, and she was entirely absorbed in her children, to the utter exclusion of everything and everybody else.Louisa May Alcott -- Little Women
- Jahan had completed her maternal health training course, but elected to stay in Skardu and continue her studies.Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin -- Three Cups of Tea
- That might require your maternal influence.John Gardner -- The Sunlight Dialogues
- Or Sonja, who needed salve on her own maternal wounds.Todd Burpo -- Heaven Is for Real
- And no matter how old they are, many still have a strong maternal instinct.Amy Tan -- The Bonesetter's Daughter
- He swindled his own son and spent his money, his maternal inheritance, on trying to get his mistress from him.Fyodor Dostoyevsky -- The Brothers Karamazov
- I had a picture of Mrs. Willard, with her heather-mixture tweeds and her sensible shoes and her wise, maternal maxims.Sylvia Plath -- The Bell Jar
- Mariam's soft maternal voice went on, brought a degree of comfort to her.Khaled Hosseini -- A Thousand Splendid Suns
- In every argument with her mother, Susan had in point of reason the advantage, and never was there any maternal tenderness to buy her off.Jane Austen -- Mansfield Park
- He says I have different personalities: that my Lingala is sweet and maternal, but in English I'm sarcastic.Barbara Kingsolver -- The Poisonwood Bible
- The niece was now mortified by innumerable chickens, who rushed up to her feet for food, and by a shameless and maternal sow.E.M. Forster -- Howards End
- Beaming maternally on Ethan, she bent over to add: "I on'y just heard from Mr. Hale 'bout Zeena's going over to Bettsbridge to see that new doctor.Edith Wharton -- Ethan Frome
- He must have heard that his maternal grandparents had been reduced to this life.Lisa See -- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
- And yet, this is something of a mockery because of her lack of maternal instincts or the ability to care for her young.Sue Monk Kidd -- The Secret Life of Bees
- Richter came around the table to give Max a maternal hug and flick a stray leaf from his shoulder.Henry H. Neff -- The Maelstrom
- Even the maternal passion in Mrs. Penniman would have been romantic and factitious, and Catherine was not constituted to inspire a romantic passion.Henry James -- Washington Square
maternal = relating to a mother
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