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 through some sort of patriarchy calculus, all Smith seemed to see was a woman disrespecting her husband, somehow. —Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 11 Feb. 2025

An implicit promise of the 2024 Trump campaign was to restore patriarchy to America. —Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2025

For better or worse, the first nine seasons were a remarkable deconstruction of how fragile the foundation of elite performance is when funneled through the lenses of patriarchy, misogyny, and colorism. —Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025

Her work includes offering critical indigenous insight into the yoga stories and histories that have been obscured by Brahminism, heteronormative patriarchy, and colonization. —Tamika Caston-Miller, Outside Online, 26 Feb. 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