Fatherly

//ˈfɑːðəli// adj, adv

adj, adv ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Characteristic of what is considered the ideal behaviour pertaining to fatherhood.

    "fatherly advice"

  2. 2
    Befitting of a father; protective, paternal.
Adjective
  1. 1
    like or befitting a father or fatherhood; kind and protective wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    In a way pertaining to, befitting, or of a father.

    "Exhorting him fatherlie to giue ouer that course."

Synonyms

All synonyms
fatherlikepaternalaffectionateamiableancestorialancestral

Example

More examples

"Tom gave his son some fatherly advice."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English faderly, from Old English fæderlīċ (“fatherly, paternal”), from Proto-West Germanic *faderlīk, from Proto-Germanic *fadurlīkaz (“fatherly, paternal”), equivalent to father + -ly. Cognate with West Frisian faderlik (“fatherly”), Dutch vaderlijk (“fatherly”), German väterlich (“fatherly”), Danish faderlig (“fatherly”), Swedish faderlig (“fatherly”), Icelandic föðurlegur (“fatherly”) . Doublet of fatherlike.

Etymology 2

From Middle English faderly, fadirly, from Old English fæderlīċe (“in a fatherly way, as a father”), equivalent to father + -ly.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.