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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of matriarch
The emotional video captured the pure joy and talent of the matriarch.
—
Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
On screen, she's portrayed as an old-school matriarch who keeps a close watch over the family.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
In Thursday’s episode of the Fox procedural, Manheim guest-starred as Jocelyn, the no-nonsense matriarch of a local family with a longstanding vendetta against her son’s future in-laws.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 30 Sep. 2025
In the film, following rich siblings (Hill & Wiig) who are cut off from their parents, Midler will play the family matriarch.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for matriarch
Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
On screen, she's portrayed as an old-school matriarch who keeps a close watch over the family.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
In Thursday’s episode of the Fox procedural, Manheim guest-starred as Jocelyn, the no-nonsense matriarch of a local family with a longstanding vendetta against her son’s future in-laws.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 30 Sep. 2025
In the film, following rich siblings (Hill & Wiig) who are cut off from their parents, Midler will play the family matriarch.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
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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Madam Poppy Pomfrey played a vital role in the lives of Hogwarts students as a matron, who nursed the sick and injured.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
1 Sep. 2025
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The two women couldn’t be more different, but when a wealthy matron is found dead of an apparent suicide on the rocky shore of Vermont’s Lake Champlain, their fraught relationship gradually turns into a productive collaboration, despite Olivia’s missteps.—
Liza Tully,
People.com,
6 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Matriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matriarch. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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