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What does motherly mean?

Motherly is an adjective that most commonly means like a mother. It’s especially used in a positive way to describe someone as being kind, nurturing, and protective—like a good mother who loves and cares for her child(ren).Describing someone as motherly often implies that they listen and give good advice—it’s perhaps most commonly used in the phrase motherly advice.The word maternal can be used to mean the same thing, but it can also be used in a more neutral way that doesn’t imply these positive things, and the same is true of the word parental (which can be used regardless of the parent’s gender).Sometimes, motherly means of or suitable for a mother, as in motherly instincts.Motherly is most often used to describe mothers themselves, but it can be applied to someone who’s not a mother, as in After my mom died, I started relying on Jane for motherly support. Motherly can be used as an adverb meaning in the manner of a mother, but this is not as common.Motherly is one of many similar adjectives based on family relations, including fatherly, grandfatherly, grandmotherly, brotherly, and sisterly.Example: When my stepmom first moved in with us, I could tell that she was trying really hard to be motherly, and it showed me that she cared.