patriarchal
adjective
pa·tri·ar·chal
ˌpā-trē-ˈär-kəl 
: of, relating to, or being a patriarch or patriarchy
a patriarchal culture
a patriarchal religion
Examples of patriarchal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their experiences were dismissed as indistinct from men’s, shaped by patriarchal assumptions about heroism.
—
Christopher P. Davey, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2025
Unlike Hamlet’s noblewoman Ophelia, whose plight in a patriarchal society finds her powerless, spiraling into madness and leads to her tragic end by drowning, Swift’s Ophelia triumphs.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2025
So while Gulf women now have space to sing, compose, and lean into the role of progressive music artists, patriarchal constraints remain.
—Camilla Wright, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025
And some of the patriarchal bias is even my own.
—Allaire Nuss, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarchal
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Christopher P. Davey, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2025
Unlike Hamlet’s noblewoman Ophelia, whose plight in a patriarchal society finds her powerless, spiraling into madness and leads to her tragic end by drowning, Swift’s Ophelia triumphs.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2025
So while Gulf women now have space to sing, compose, and lean into the role of progressive music artists, patriarchal constraints remain.
—Camilla Wright, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025
And some of the patriarchal bias is even my own.
—Allaire Nuss, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarchal
Cite this Entry
“Patriarchal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patriarchal. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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