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  1. avuncular love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Of or having to do with an uncle.
  2. adj. Regarded as characteristic of an uncle, especially in benevolence or tolerance.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Of or pertaining to an uncle.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. In the manner of an uncle, pertaining to an uncle.
  2. adj. by extension Kind, genial, benevolent, or tolerant.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Of or pertaining to an uncle.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. resembling a uncle in kindness or indulgence
  2. adj. being or relating to an uncle

Etymologies

  1. From Latin avunculus ("maternal uncle"). (Wiktionary)
  2. From Latin avunculus, maternal uncle; see awo- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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antonyms (1)

Words with the opposite meaning

  1. materteral

same context (26)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. comradely
  2. benignant
  3. ingratiate
  4. open-hearted
  5. conspiratorial
  1. unthreatening
  2. no-nonsense
  3. brotherly
  4. cousinly
  5. motherly
  1. over-ruled
  2. flirtatious
  3. easygoing
  4. straight-from-the-shoulder
  5. self-effacing
  1. conciliatory
  2. self-deprecating
  3. grandfatherly
  4. offhand
  5. friendliest
  1. Ms.
  2. wait-and-see
  3. ever-ready
  4. materteral
  5. paternal
  1. maternal

reverse dictionary (1)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. uncular

tags (2)

Free-form, user-generated categorization

  1. auua
  1. ppwp_soundintelligent

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Lists

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Comments

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  • pterodactyl I don't see why not. As best as I can tell, in order to be avuncular, all you have to do is behave like a stereotypical uncle. Anyone can do that, whether they're male or female. Jul 4, 2012

  • rlinde There has been an earlier comment, but I'd love some feedback: can a woman be avuncular? Jul 3, 2012

  • milosrdenstvi Well, if it's from Finnegans Wake, you hardly need to ask... May 4, 2012

  • ruzuzu That's interesting, yarb. There is an example over on vuncular, but I can't tell whether it's intentional or a typo (or an intentional typo):

    “Avia, that simple pair, and descendant down on veloutypads by a vuncular process to Nurus and Noverca, those notorious nepotists, circumpictified in their sobrine census, patriss all of them by the glos on their germane faces and their socerine eyes like transparents of vitricus, patruuts to a man, the archimade levirs of his ekonome world.”
    --Finnegans Wake
    Apr 30, 2012

  • yarb Neither vuncular nor its opposite. That to which the concept of vuncularity does not apply. Nov 29, 2011

  • scete Hercule Poirot offered to be her avuncular Jan 14, 2009

  • sarra might do the trick! Oct 15, 2007

  • reesetee Sarra, see materteral. :-) Oct 15, 2007

  • sarra Is there any word which covers the same traits (kindness, experience, generosity, maybe a bit of exuberance) in a female? Matronly is too distanced. Language hacks gladly accepted. Oct 15, 2007

  • seanmeade the thing i love about avuncular is its origin in Indo-European pre-history and the probable cultural milieu: the importance of the maternal uncle/grandfather in bringing up a boy in a paternal society. Mar 26, 2007

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‘avuncular’ has been looked up 6838 times, loved by 23 people, added to 206 lists, commented on 10 times, and has a Scrabble score of 14.