Thesaurus results for MATRIARCH

matriarch

noun

ˈmā-trē-ˌärk

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

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.

Recent Examples of matriarch One notable matriarch mentioned in Waters’s book is Phyllis Schlafly. —

Emma Green, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026 The 71-year-old matriarch appeared alongside one of her seven grandchildren, 2-year-old Inigo. —

Hannah Malach, InStyle, 6 Apr. 2026 Catherine O'Hara, who died suddenly in January, played matriarch Moira Rose, a flamboyant former soap opera star. —

Anthony Mason, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026 Stacy is the matriarch of a wealthy New York City family who makes a life-changing decision after suffering a devastating tragedy in the first episode. —

Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for matriarch

Recent Examples of Synonyms for matriarch

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