How to use maternal in a sentence

40 example sentences · adjective, noun

Maternal means of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother; motherly. Example: “His weakness seemed to bring out her maternal instincts.”

Examples of maternal by meaning

adjectiveOf or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother; motherly.

His weakness seemed to bring out her maternal instincts.
In potato, crosses between the tetraploid cultivated species Solanum tuberosum, and some clones of the diploid wild-type species S. phureja, constitute a method of producing maternal dihaploids.1998, C. Horlow, C. Raquin, “A Critical Analysis of Existing Haploidization Techniques”, in Y[ves] Chupeau, M[ichel] Caboche, Y[ves] Henry...
Maternal desire is at once obvious and invisible partly because it is so easily confused with other things.2004, Daphne de Marneffe, “The ‘Problem’ of Maternal Desire”, in Maternal Desire: On Children, Love, and the Inner Life, New York, N.Y....

adjectiveRelated through the mother, or her side of the family.

Toby is my maternal uncle.
While the attribution to the elder children of the given names of paternal grandparents was generally respected, alternation between paternal and maternal lines was not the rule.1985, Christiane Klapisch-Zuber, “The Name ‘Remade’”, in Lydia Cochrane, transl., Women, Family and Ritual in Renaissance Italy, paperback...

adjectiveDerived from the mother as opposed to the foetus during pregnancy.

The synthesis of maternal and fetal tissue or breast milk, and the associated costs of maternal maintenance increase nutrient requirements during pregnancy and lactation.1991, Barbara Abrams, “Maternal Undernutrition and Reproductive Performance”, in Frank Falkner, editor, Infant and Child Nutrition...
Although specimens are thoroughly washed and inspected under a microscope after collection, some maternal cells may remain and grow in the culture.2009, Ronald J. Wapner, Thomas M. Jenkins, Nahla Khalek, “Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Disorders”, in Robert K. Creasy, Robert Resnick...
While the animal–vegetal axis is patterned exclusively by maternal factors, the later developing dorsal–ventral axis depends on formation of the animal–vegetal axis and requires both maternal and zygotic contributions in zebrafish and frogs.2010, Florence L. Marlow, “Dorsal–Ventral Axis Formation before Zygotic Genome Activation in Zebrafish and Frogs”, in Daniel Kessler...

nounA person related through the mother, or her side of the family; a maternal relative.

My maternals were Huguenots on the lamb from the Duque de Guise and his cronies.2003 May 1, hippo, “Warning To Syria”, in alt.history.british (Usenet), archived from the original on 09 Dec 2025

More sentences with maternal

My nephew is named after his maternal grandfather.From the entry named
So if women don’t come on flirty or maternal, she thinks, some men get stumped.2018 December 28, Catherine Shoard, “Keira Knightley: 'I can’t act the flirt or mother to get my voice heard. It makes me feel sick”, in…. From the entry stumped
It was found that, on average, maternal grandfathers were more involved with adolescent grandchildren than paternal grandfathers.2016, Jo-Pei Tan, Ann Buchanan, “Links between Grandfather Involvement and Adolescent Well-being in England and Wales”, in Ann Buchanan…. From the entry grandfather
Adolescents also felt closer to maternal grandfathers compared to paternal grandfathers.2016, Jo-Pei Tan, Ann Buchanan, “Links between Grandfather Involvement and Adolescent Well-being in England and Wales”, in Ann Buchanan…. From the entry grandfather
Graduate school was filled with many warlocky professors and some wonderful maternal ones.2016, Virginia Heffernan, “Even If You Don’t Believe in It”, in Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster…. From the entry warlocky
This leads to small interpregnancy intervals that negatively impact maternal nutritional status, leading to poor birth outcome.2015 August 8, Audrey Tonguet-Papucci et al., “The MAM’Out project: a randomized controlled trial to assess multiannual and seasonal cash…. From the entry interpregnancy
In commanding this ritual, agnatic kinsmen outranked maternal and uxorial kinsmen.2007, Leor Halevi, “The Politics of Burial and Tomb Construction”, in Muhammad’s Grave: Death Rites and the Making of Islamic Society, New…. From the entry uxorial
We play a game she calls zoomy rocket, which usually draws some nasty maternal stares.2004, Ad Hudler, Househusband, page 284. From the entry zoomy
Divandu albimarginatus is a maternal mouthbrooder (latest observations demonstrated larvophilic), that does without pair-bonding (agamous or polygamous).2004, Anton Lamboj, The Cichlid Fishes of Western Africa. From the entry agamous
The 10 brown offspring constitute only one-half of the offspring produced by noncrossover maternal gametes.2002, Susan L. Elrod, William D. Stansfield, Schaum's outline of theory and problems of genetics. From the entry noncrossover
Therefore, we estimate that 10 of the white individuals were also produced by noncrossover maternal gametes.2002, Susan L. Elrod, William D. Stansfield, Schaum's outline of theory and problems of genetics. From the entry noncrossover
The gift equation deserves special attention among the land transfer equations for both paternal and maternal sibsets.2001, International Food Policy Research Institute, Research report (issues 120-124). From the entry sibset
"To the maternals, to the paternals." or "From the maternals, from the paternals.".1998 April 23, John W Kennedy, “The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father ( *Spoilers* )”, in rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated (Usenet)…. From the entry paternal
The behaviors associated with alloparenting are phenotypically similar to maternal and paternal care.1997, C. Sue Carter, R. Lucille Roberts, “9: The Psychobiological Basis of Cooperative Breeding in Rodents”, in Nancy G. Solomon, Jeffrey…. From the entry alloparenting
We are more likely to recognize her maternal endowments, a role many women have serious doubts about.1995, Merete Leonhardt-Lupa, “A Mother's Sexuality”, in A Mother Is Born: Preparing for Motherhood During Pregnancy, Westport, Conn.…. From the entry madonnalike
This near-term gray reef pup bears a pseudo-umbilical cord that connects the young shark to maternal tissue.1993, Leighton R. Taylor, Sharks of Hawaii: Their Biology and Cultural Significance, →ISBN, page 15. From the entry pseudo-umbilical
Their infants were attracted to the womblike sound and warmth of the maternal heart.1982, Charles W. Needham, The Principles of Cerebral Dominance, →ISBN, page 96. From the entry womblike
Represented in a variety of gracious postures, often with a child, she expresses a madonnalike maternal feeling.1962, Niels C[hristian] Nielsen, Jr., “The Buddhists”, in The Layman Looks at World Religions, St. Louis, Mo.: The Bethany Press, →LCCN…. From the entry madonnalike
The maternal mortality was nine per cent and that of the fœtûs 68 per cent.1931 autumn, W. W. King, “The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynæcology”, in Comyns Berkeley, editor, The Journal of Obstetrics and…. From the entry fœtûs
"A strange flare of maternal pride," he remarked in his usual detached fashion as he rejoined Parkinson.1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards…. From the entry flare
According to the research funding database Dimensions, there are currently 36 active grants focused on maternal mortality in rural communities.2025 September 29, Amy Joint, “It takes a village: fighting maternal mortality in rural communities”, in Research Communities by Springer…. From the entry Côte d'Ivoiran
He volunteers to take care of his maternal grandmother after he finds out she has Stage 4 cancer.2024 June 23, Sui-Lee Wee, “Why Southeast Asia Is Crying Over This Movie”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 23…. From the entry filial
The hatchling sowpigs (Cornwall) that leave the maternal pouch are tiny, soft and pale but soon harden up.2024, Dominic Couzens, Gail Ashton, A Year of Garden Bees and Bugs. From the entry sowpig
The news of an inter-caste marriage would upset Komal's maternal uncles, her mother reasoned, and she feared their wrath.2023, Radhika Iyengar, Fire on the Ganges, Fourth Estate, page 275. From the entry intercaste
With the help of his wife Bilquis, he set up a maternal health clinic and a centre for abandoned children.2017 April 6, Samira Shackle, “On the frontline with Karachi’s ambulance drivers”, in the Guardian. From the entry set up
Neurointellectual outcomes in children appear to be more dependent on their mothers' nutritional iodine status than on maternal thyroid function.2017, B. Koletzko, R. Shamir, D. Turck, Nutrition and Growth: Yearbook 2017, page 87. From the entry neurointellectual
Genome-wide SNP array of the family (the patient and her parents) showed complete maternal isodisomy of chromosome 12.2015 July 9, “Detection of Hereditary 1,25-Hydroxyvitamin D-Resistant Rickets Caused by Uniparental Disomy of Chromosome 12 Using…. From the entry isodisomy
This maternal signature was discernible until larvae attained postflexion stages.2015 July 31, “Trophic Ecology of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ( Thunnusthynnus ) Larvae from the Gulf of Mexico and NW Mediterranean Spawning…. From the entry postflexion
As a result of meiosis, quadrinucleate spermatids are formed, but only the nuclei of maternal origin produce sperm (Fig. 3).2015 July 9, Ilya A. Gavrilov-Zimin, Andrey V. Stekolshchikov, D.C. Gautam, “General trends of chromosomal evolution in Aphidococca…. From the entry quadrinucleate
At the same time the maternal protective systems help the conceptus to successfully implant and then nidate and grow.2014, Pankaj Desai, Recurrent Spontaneous Miscarriages, page 46. From the entry nidate
Ectogenesis is a genesis “outside” the maternal body.2012, Irina Aristarkhova, Hospitality of the Matrix, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 88. From the entry ectogenesis

Meaning of maternal

adjective Of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother; motherly.
adjective Related through the mother, or her side of the family.
adjective Derived from the mother as opposed to the foetus during pregnancy.

Full definition of maternal

Questions about maternal in a sentence

How do you use maternal in a sentence?: Maternal is used as an adjective and noun. For example: “His weakness seemed to bring out her maternal instincts.”
What is a short sentence with maternal?: “Toby is my maternal uncle.”
What does maternal mean?: Maternal means of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother; motherly.

Adapted from Wiktionary: maternal (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use maternal in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/maternal. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.