How to Use maternal in a Sentence

maternal

adjective
  • Doctors are concerned about the effects of the drug on maternal health.
  • In the course of the decade, maternal deaths fell by eighty per cent.
    — Atul Gawande, The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2021
  • The girls all turn toward her in a way that feels maternal.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 25 June 2026
  • Over half the state counties are defined as a maternal care desert.
    — Jessica Lussenhop, ProPublica, 20 May 2024
  • There is this primal, maternal, innate need to save him and to save them.
    — Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2024
  • Which just goes to show how little maternal feeling counts for.
    — Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
  • But not all cats are as maternal as this one, according to the comments.
    — Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
  • My maternal grandmother gave me the courage to go after my dreams.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024
  • Then, many new parents do not have nursing and maternal care visits or paid parental leave.
    — Steven Berkowitz, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2023
  • But did Treya’s maternal hopes and concerns resonate with you?
    — Angela Dawson, Forbes, 31 May 2021
  • What caused the changes in maternal death during the pandemic.
    — Robert Hart, Forbes, 28 June 2022
  • This is because maternal age is one of the key risk factors for Down syndrome.
    — Robin Elise Weiss, Phd, Parents, 30 July 2024
  • The city has some of the highest rates of Black maternal and fetal death in the country.
    — Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2024
  • But fortunately his maternal aunt and uncle were able to take him in.
    — Martine Paris, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The man left her and she is trapped between societal norms and maternal instinct.
    — Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2025
  • And my role in the film also carries a very maternal storyline.
    — Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Oct. 2022
  • When that maternal presence is missing, there’s not just a lack of support, but a loss of grounding.
    — Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 23 Oct. 2025
  • But their plan goes awry, causing the baby girl to grow up with three maternal figures and a desire to leave them all.
    — Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2026
  • The maternal healthcare deserts in this country will increase.
    — Aisha Nyandoro, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
  • Three out of four bases in primary care deserts are also in a mental health care desert, a maternal care desert, or both.
    — Brent Jones, NPR, 17 June 2024
  • The maternal mortality rate is among the highest in the world.
    — Claire Parker, Washington Post, 5 Nov. 2022
  • Roya said her maternal grandmother would come to stay with the family for a couple of weeks at a time.
    — Judy Bart Kancigor, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Their work has helped shift the model of maternal care from a reactive to a proactive approach.
    — Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
  • Over the course of the next year, the facility’s rate of maternal deaths dropped by 70%.
    — Maggie McGrath, Forbes, 2 June 2021
  • There were takes that were more maternal, more empathetic and more cautious.
    — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2026
  • Shetty was very maternal towards her.
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
  • For a year, baby Kathleen was put in the care of her aunt and maternal grandmother.
    — Oscar Schwartz, Wired, 9 Dec. 2021
  • My maternal grandmother lived to 95 and my mom lived to 97.
    — Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2026
  • This is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
    — Yenupini Joyce Adams, The Conversation, 27 May 2026
  • Moreover, some hospitals and birth centers employ doulas or work with them as part of their maternal care teams.
    — Seun Mauton Ajoseh, The Conversation, 10 Dec. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maternal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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