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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 The 75-year-old actress, best known for playing Harriette Winslow on Family Matters and for voicing The Proud Family's matriarch Suga Mama, posted an update about her health in a Facebook post celebrating Easter earlier this month. —

Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026 The physically towering Brimelow family matriarch was holding up keys to the castle. —

Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026 As playful re-enactments give way to haunting revelations, Dea and Asllan confront the painful disappearance of a beloved matriarch and the collective scars of a community grappling with memory and loss. —

Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026 Young people in China are turning to Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner for inspiration. —

Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 7 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