motherly
/ˈmʌðəli
/adjective
Of, resembling, or characteristic of a mother, especially in being caring, protective, and kind: she held both her arms wide in a gesture of motherly love...
- Beth is distant and cold to Conrad, unable to show him the type of motherly love he needs and desires.
- His is a tale of jealousy, envy and treachery, but also of motherly love, shrewdness and adventure.
- Anna placed a comforting, motherly hand on her shoulder, making her look up.
Synonyms
maternal, maternalistic, protective, caring, nurturing, loving, devoted, affectionate, fond, warm, tender, gentle, kind, kindly, comforting, understanding, compassionate
Derivatives
motherliness
/ noun ...- She nearly always loses her traditionally feminine characteristics in so doing - not those of attractiveness, but rather of kindness, humaneness, motherliness.
- The solemnity of the story is relieved by the humour of the rustic travellers at the Rainbow Inn, and the genial motherliness of Dolly Winthrop, who befriends Silas.
- It isn't their sex that singles them out as oddities; it's their dangerous beliefs tacked on to their wholesome-as-apple-pie motherliness.
Origin
Old English mōdorlic (see mother, -ly1).