patriarchal

adjective pa·tri·ar·chal \ ˌpā-trē-ˈär-kəl \

|Updated on: 3 Jul 2018

Definition of patriarchal

: of, relating to, or being a patriarch or patriarchy

a patriarchal culture

a patriarchal religion

Recent Examples of patriarchal from the Web

Both Lyla and Nina must contend with a world centered on patriarchal beliefs, a world that serves neither of them well.

— bethanne patrick, chicagotribune.com, "Emily Giffin's new novel is all her fans ever wanted," 29 June 2018
But Barbie now faces the unjust prejudice and devaluation experienced by many women pushing 60 in this patriarchal culture.

— peter keough, BostonGlobe.com, "An immigrant story, atrocity tourism, the future of Barbie," 28 June 2018
Sudan follows a strict interpretation of Sharia (Islamic law) and with a history of conservative patriarchal attitudes towards women.

— farid y. farid, Teen Vogue, "Noura Hussein Filed for an Appeal to Repeal Her Death Sentence and to Be Pardoned for Killing Her Rapist," 20 June 2018
The far northwest of Argentina is one of the more traditionally patriarchal regions of the country, so there were very few women role models to look up to in the wine industry.

— todd plummer, Vogue, "Meet the Women Changing Argentina’s Wine Industry," 18 June 2018
Then again, one of the big reasons that depictions of naked women are considered controversial is because of a patriarchal history that’s cultivated fear and revulsion toward the nude female form, so IDK!

— cady drell, Marie Claire, "All the Ways I Feel About the New Yeezy Ads as a Feminist," 13 June 2018
The heroine is quick to assimilate, better than Imed, who struggles to reconcile his patriarchal African upbringing with his attraction to both Western culture and the two women.

— andrea gronvall, Chicago Reader, "History repeats itself over and over again at the African Diaspora Film Festival," 8 June 2018
These days a common motive for writing a will is to preserve such patriarchal values in the face of what some people see as an assault by freewheeling lifestyles and soaring divorce rates which have made family relationships more fluid and complex.

— The Economist, "Will-writing is becoming more popular in China," 7 June 2018
Now, Fred is officially a power-hungry patriarchal monster, poisoned by Gilead.

— refinery29.com, "The Handmaid's Tale Season 2, Episode 8 Recap: "I Only Wanna Be With You"," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'patriarchal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.