matriarch
noun
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.
Examples of matriarch in a Sentence
Jaden Thompson, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Obituaries Robert MacNeil, the stately journalist who brought news to PBS, dies at 93.
Eleanor Coppola, matriarch of the Coppola filmmaking family, dies at 87.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Eleanor Coppola, the matriarch of a Hollywood dynasty who won an Emmy for directing the documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse and helmed her first narrative feature at age 80, died Friday.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
The couple are also credited as a matriarch and patriarch of the Anoa’i family, one of wrestling’s most famous lineages.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Some 30-plus years after the original, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead is getting the reboot treatment, this time centering on a Black family led by a matriarch (played by comedian Ms. Pat).
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2024
The series was famous for its gut-wrenching plot twists — including the death of patriarch Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) in a house fire and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in matriarch Rebecca (Mandy Moore).
—Alex Ross, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024
Billy Rosenthal said his mother was the matriarch of the family and also of the Jewish community in Fort Worth.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
Actress Shirley Jones celebrated her 90th birthday in March 2024 with her children and grandchildren by her side
Shirley Jones is the matriarch of a large family both on-screen and off.
—Julie Tremaine, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'matriarch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near matriarch
Cite this Entry
“Matriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/matriarch. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
matriarch
noun
Share