motherly
pertaining to, characteristic of, or befitting a mother; maternal: motherly solicitude.
like a mother: to take a motherly interest in an orphan.
in the manner of a mother.
Origin of motherly
1Other words from motherly
- moth·er·li·ness, noun
- un·moth·er·ly, adjective
Words Nearby motherly
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use motherly in a sentence
“You know what a Mitchum movie is,” he says, as a woman reporter from Newsweek breaks into that sexual motherly smile.
The Stacks: Mr. Bad Taste and Trouble Himself: Robert Mitchum | Robert Ward | July 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTInevitably, poor Kate is getting binders full of advice and motherly reminiscence.
Hyperemesis Gravidarum: What’s Ailing Kate Middleton | Kent Sepkowitz | December 4, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST“Diana did love him in a motherly way,” said a friend of the singer.
Diana Ross ‘Has No Intention of Taking’ Michael Jackson’s Kids | Allison Samuels | August 1, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTShe has a real motherly concern for them, but thinks they [have] too much control.
The Family Battle Over Michael Jackson’s Millions and His Three Children | Allison Samuels | July 25, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTArline Kercher has an easy smile and an inherent motherly demeanor.
The motherly woman received the babe instinctively and cast aside the travelling-rug in which he was enveloped.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. LockeWhat can be prettier than a brood of chickens with a good motherly hen, like the one in this picture!
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1 | VariousMrs. Plornish seemed to have had her motherly instincts pretty well quenched by time and poverty.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. MorrisonThou art the help of Christians; lighten our tribulations, and help us with motherly intercession at the throne of thy divine Son.
Mary, Help of Christians | VariousHe was treated with motherly kindness and tenderness, yet firmly checked when he went wrong.
Eric, or Little by Little | Frederic W. Farrar
British Dictionary definitions for motherly
/ (ˈmʌðəlɪ) /
of or resembling a mother, esp in warmth, or protectiveness
Derived forms of motherly
- motherliness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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