matriarch

noun

ma·​tri·​arch ˈmā-trē-ˌärk How to pronounce matriarch (audio)
: 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.

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

Our grandmother was the family's matriarch. The tribe's matriarch ruled for 20 years before her death.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In Antoine Fuqua’s Michael, slated for release on April 24, 2026, Long plays Jackson family matriarch Katherine, with Tate as Motown Records’ Berry Gordy. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025 Unable to attend the hearings to hear those words were Joan and Terry, the aging family matriarchs who have never wavered in their support, the cousins said. Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025 The project is co-owned by Bluffton councilwoman and chef, Bridgette Frazier, and entrepreneur Billy Watterson, and is named for Frazier’s grandmother and Gullah matriarch, Daisy Pinckney Frazier. Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025 Keaton became the go-to actress for family matriarchs and long-suffering wives in the years that followed, with memorable performances in The Other Sister, The Family Stone, and Town & Country. Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for matriarch

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of matriarch was in 1606

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Cite this Entry

“Matriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/matriarch. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

matriarch

noun
ma·​tri·​arch ˈmā-trē-ˌärk How to pronounce matriarch (audio)
: a woman who rules a family, group, or state
especially : a mother who is head of her family and descendants
matriarchal adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on matriarch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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