patriarchy

noun

pa·​tri·​ar·​chy ˈpā-trē-ˌär-kē 

plural patriarchies

1

: social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family, the legal dependence of wives and children, and the reckoning of descent and inheritance in the male line

broadly : control by men of a disproportionately large share of power

2

: a society or institution organized according to the principles or practices of patriarchy

For 20 years the country was ruled as a patriarchy.

Examples of patriarchy in a Sentence

For 20 years, the country was ruled as a patriarchy.

a region in which patriarchy is practiced

Recent Examples on the Web

But patriarchy is magnificent this way, a perfect predator. —Neko Case july 24, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025

Namit Das, Ayesha Raza, and Manish Chaudhari also star in the film which explores diverse cultures within India, the effects of patriarchy on men and women and how society judges them. —Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025

Garland, who made the successful leap from screenwriter to director-screenwriter, has focused on death – of humanity, of ego, of country, and of patriarchy. —Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2025

The intriguing idea here is that the practice of lesbianism, thanks to its marginal status within society, implies certain political ideals — smashing patriarchy, protesting war, resisting capitalism — that the lesbian nevertheless cannot satisfy. —Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 16 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for patriarchy

• hierarchy
• matriarchy
• oligarchy
• arche
• sparky
• autarky
• menarche

Kids Definition

patriarchy

noun

pa·​tri·​ar·​chy ˈpā-trē-ˌär-kē 

plural patriarchies

1

: social organization in which the father is head of the family and ancestry and inheritance are traced in the male line

2

: a society organized according to the principles of patriarchy