as in dowager
a dignified usually elderly woman of some rank or authority
even though she was 87, the matriarch of the family knew everything that was going on
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Recent Examples of matriarch
That didn't stop her from playing a biblical matriarch.
—
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Even outside of traditional television, the reality TV model has made millionaires of even more toxic matriarchs such as Ruby Framke, who amassed over 2 million YouTube subscribers by pimping out her children for clicks while criminally abusing them in secret.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
Shirley Aunty, the matriarch of the Aranya Pepper farm, is an egg curry queen.
—Shirley Parameswaran, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Mar. 2026
And speaking of Jenner, several other representatives of the Kardashian-Jenner clan were in attendance at the party, including matriarch Kris Jenner, as well as Kendall Jenner, and Kim Kardashian.
—Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for matriarch
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Even outside of traditional television, the reality TV model has made millionaires of even more toxic matriarchs such as Ruby Framke, who amassed over 2 million YouTube subscribers by pimping out her children for clicks while criminally abusing them in secret.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
Shirley Aunty, the matriarch of the Aranya Pepper farm, is an egg curry queen.
—Shirley Parameswaran, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Mar. 2026
And speaking of Jenner, several other representatives of the Kardashian-Jenner clan were in attendance at the party, including matriarch Kris Jenner, as well as Kendall Jenner, and Kim Kardashian.
—Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for matriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for matriarch
Noun
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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
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The empress dowager’s legacy Empress Dowager Ling was largely unsuccessful in her bid for power.—
Stephanie Balkwill,
The Conversation,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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As the movie begins, Armando takes shelter in a Recife safehouse, overseen by a cigarette-ripping matron called Dona Sebastiana and populated by refugees navigating their own unspecified troubles.—
Michael Snyder,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
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Only 40 guests were invited to the wedding, including John’s cousin Anthony Radziwill (who served as his best man); John’s sister, Caroline Kennedy (Carolyn’s matron of honour), and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg; and their kids, Jack (the ring bearer), Rose and Tatiana (both flower girls).—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Matriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matriarch. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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