/ Thesaurus / P Synonyms of paternalistic Find synonyms for: Adjective1. paternalistic, paternal (vs. maternal)usage: benevolent but sometimes intrusiveWordNet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Related Content Daily Word Quiz: bibliophile Analogy of the Day: Today’s Analogy Spelling Bee: Today’s Spelling Bee Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language