matriarch

noun

ma·​tri·​arch ˈmā-trē-ˌärk 

: 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.

Synonyms

• dowager
• matron

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

There are very obvious parental figures for all the Lost Boys, with Dame Sylvia being the matriarch and Arthur being a father figure or a fun uncle for them. —Leia Mendoza, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025

Shalini, the fragile matriarch, is ready to have her husband to herself after years of sacrifice to the family business. —Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025

The students are delightfully distinct, as is Collette, who once again distinguishes a new intimidating matriarch from all her others. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025

Curtis plays Donna Berzatto, the matriarch of the Berzatto family, on The Bear. —Carson Blackwelder, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for matriarch

• disembark
• meadowlark
• patriarch
• watermark
• arc
• ark
• bark
• barque
• dark
• hark
• lark
• marc

Kids Definition

matriarch

noun

ma·​tri·​arch ˈmā-trē-ˌärk 

: a woman who rules a family, group, or state

especially : a mother who is head of her family and descendants

matriarchal

ˌmā-trē-ˈär-kəl 

adjective