matriarch

noun ma·tri·arch \ ˈmā-trē-ˌärk \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Definition of matriarch

: a woman who rules or dominates a family, group, or state; specifically : a mother who is head and ruler of her family and descendants

Our grandmother was the family's matriarch.

—

matriarchal

play \ˌmā-trē-ˈär-kəl\ adjective

See matriarch defined for English-language learners

See matriarch defined for kids

Examples of matriarch in a Sentence

Our grandmother was the family's matriarch.
The tribe's matriarch ruled for 20 years before her death.

Recent Examples of matriarch from the Web

As longtime residents and matriarchs of the Central Arava, Grunow and Ben Elyahu are seeing a growing number of young families making this part of Israel their home.

— erika sallen, Jewish Journal, "The Negev offers better resources for expectant mothers and families," 6 June 2018
Mimi was the true matriarch of her loving family and took great delight in her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deaths in South Florida: 6/5," 5 June 2018
For the rest of Nick's family, Superstore's Nico Santos plays cousin Oliver T'sien; Ronny Chieng is cousin Eddie Cheng; Remy Hii is cousin Alistair Cheng; and Lisa Lu is Nick's grandmother and family matriarch Shang Su Yi.

— anika reed, USA TODAY, "'Crazy Rich Asians': Everything we know about the movie," 25 May 2018
Florence Berman, matriarch of Superdawg hot dogs, passed away quietly in her sleep May 1.

— phil vettel, chicagotribune.com, "Florence Berman of Superdawg has died," 2 May 2018
The matriarch of the most powerful Republican dynasty in modern history has died.

— doug criss, CNN, "5 things for April 18: Pompeo, Barbara Bush, Southwest death, UK immigrants," 18 Apr. 2018
Lois Smith plays the dying matriarch of a dysfunctional family in Lily Thorne's world-premiere drama, which also stars J. Smith Cameron, Johanna Day and Heather Burns.

— frank scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Peace for Mary Frances': Theater Review," 24 May 2018
But comedian Roseanne Barr, who plays the Trump-voting matriarch with the iconic cackle, was never confused about the direction of the series, which averages 19 million viewers per episode, according to Nielsen.

— helena andrews-dyer, chicagotribune.com, "In the 'Roseanne' finale, 'government can really help people'; for the series, it helped ratings," 23 May 2018
The matriarch of the southern residents J2, estimated to be perhaps as old as 100 years, making her the oldest known orca in the world, was declared dead by the end of 2017 when researchers had not seen her since October, 2016.

— lynda v. mapes, The Seattle Times, "‘Two guys are doing all of the work’: Southern-resident orcas’ inbreeding may devastate the population," 19 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'matriarch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

A matriarchy is a social unit governed by a woman or group of women. It isn't certain that a true matriarchal society has ever existed, so matriarchy is usually treated as an imaginative concept. But there are societies in which relatedness through women rather than men is stressed, and elements of matriarchy may be stronger in certain societies than they are in most of the Western world. And most of us can point to families in which a woman has become the dominant figure, or grande dame, or matriarch.

First Known Use of matriarch

1606

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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matriarch Synonyms

Synonyms

dame, dowager, grande dame, matron;

Related Words

grandam (or grandame);

headmistress, mistress;

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

MATRIARCH Defined for English Language Learners

matriarch

noun

Definition of matriarch for English Language Learners

: a woman who controls a family, group, or government

MATRIARCH Defined for Kids

matriarch

noun ma·tri·arch \ ˈmā-trē-ˌärk \

Definition of matriarch for Students

: a woman who is the head of a family, group, or state

Word Root of matriarch

The Latin word mater, meaning “mother,” gives us the root mater or matr. Anyone or anything maternal, such as a grandparent, is related through the mother's side of the family. Maternity is the state of being a mother. A matriarch is a woman who is the mother and head of a family. A matron is a married woman who may be a mother.