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

American patriarchy is a system that has long defined national identity by the dominance of white, cisgender, straight, able-bodied men. —Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025

Our cultural obsession with thinness is a relatively recent invention, born of fashion, patriarchy, and postwar consumerism. —Anne Marie Chaker, Time, 18 June 2025

Just know the film is split into three distinct movements, each shifting in tone and perspective, yet all rooted in the same thematic core: the unchecked violence of patriarchy, and the quiet ways women have been conditioned to endure and survive it. —Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025

Through the lens of Michael Douglas’s leading men, Crispin dives into the murky waters of patriarchy, capitalism, and (yes) the crisis of masculinity. —Literary Hub june 2, Literary Hub, 2 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