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

The Widow Caines; a woman seeking to exist fully in an unjust patriarchy preventing her from realizing her intellectual ambition. —Hazlitt, 27 Sep. 2023

No doubt the patriarchy and capitalism have power, but how precisely that power results in the rage of mothers toward their children, as opposed to their husbands or their bosses, remains unclear. —Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023

Wearing men’s boxers means sticking out your tongue at the patriarchy. —Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2023

The comedy adds further accessibility to the play’s serious interrogation of prejudice, patriarchy, privilege and exclusionary artistic tradition. —Celia Wren, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023

The burning smell wasn’t the smoldering sea eel but the demise of the sushi patriarchy. —Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, 14 Oct. 2023

Their band name is an inside joke about toxic male ego but also an implicit challenge to gender norms, patriarchy and what a rock band historically affords. —Erin Osmon, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023

It’s decorated with neon signs and disco balls, a giant fake horse and a graveyard for both the patriarchy and Sugar Daddy Ken. —María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023

In a larger sense, much of Reeder’s work comes back around to her persistent, painfully fruitful themes of victimization, a toxic patriarchy and a way forward — no retreat, no surrender. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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