GRANDAM Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

grandam

noun

variants or grandame

Definition of grandam

as in beldam

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandam

Noun

The show’s underpinned by the differences in character and country of Lady Cora and her formidable mother-in-law, the dowager Countess Violet Crawley, played by the equally formidable and much missed Dame Maggie Smith.

— Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 22 July 2025
The empress dowager’s legacy Empress Dowager Ling was largely unsuccessful in her bid for power.

— Stephanie Balkwill, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025

Definition of dowager

Noun

Spearheaded by the family’s patriarch, a civil engineer who spent five years meticulously guiding its development, it was envisioned as a place with soul, which is inspired by the family’s summers growing up on the island.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
If the American family is viewed as a hierarchy with the male patriarch at the top, then feminism is democratizing that structure.

— Gloria Steinem, Glamour, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of patriarch

Noun

McCollum is the graybeard entering only his fifth season and in the second year of a three-year, $48 million contract extension.

— Rick Stroud, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2026
Sixteen years into the experiment, Twitter is a graybeard by internet years and by corporate standards.

— Matt Pearce, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2022

Definition of graybeard

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

grand

grandam

grandams

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Grandam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grandam. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of grandam

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

patina

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes