Synonyms & related words for maternal

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of maternal — including maternalistic, paternal, motherlike, parental, motherly, fatherlike. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to maternal

Explore words related to maternal — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include nonmaternal, maternalist, unmaternal, unmotherly, enatic, maternally, maternalism, motherliness. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for maternal

Common synonyms for maternal include maternalistic, paternal, motherlike, parental, motherly, fatherlike, fatherly, grandparental — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does maternal come from?

The word maternal breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root matr-, from Latin mater (“mother, source”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.