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.
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
Awkward giggles and ruthless stares punctuate silence until the blind matriarch (played by Tracy Letts) asks his daughter to describe Martha’s (Elle Fanning) appearance to him in exhaustive detail.
—
David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
The family’s financial concerns may be in the rearview mirror, but the Russell family matriarch may have focused too intensely on her ambitions in society than on being a wife and mother.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
That's the beloved appetizer consisting of six yellow peppers stuffed with shrimp that family matriarch Carmen Murguia brought to California from the border town of Mexicali, creating what may be the area’s most popular Mexican dish and inspiring countless imitators.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
The club’s walls are plastered with Puerto Rican flags and portraits of the bar’s owner and matriarch, whose real name is Maria Antonia Cay.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for matriarch
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David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
The family’s financial concerns may be in the rearview mirror, but the Russell family matriarch may have focused too intensely on her ambitions in society than on being a wife and mother.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
That's the beloved appetizer consisting of six yellow peppers stuffed with shrimp that family matriarch Carmen Murguia brought to California from the border town of Mexicali, creating what may be the area’s most popular Mexican dish and inspiring countless imitators.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
The club’s walls are plastered with Puerto Rican flags and portraits of the bar’s owner and matriarch, whose real name is Maria Antonia Cay.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for matriarch
Cite this Entry
“Matriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/matriarch. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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