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 students are delightfully distinct, as is Collette, who once again distinguishes a new intimidating matriarch from all her others.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Curtis plays Donna Berzatto, the matriarch of the Berzatto family, on The Bear.
—Carson Blackwelder, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
The subject of a true-crime podcast and television specials, the complicated family drama with its matriarch at the forefront was among this summer’s criminal cases of intrigue.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
As Wednesday continues with her reckless use of her psychic abilities, the matriarch of the Addams Family is also trying to stop history from repeating itself, which could see Wednesday face a similar fate to Morticia’s sister, Ophelia Frump.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for matriarch
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Curtis plays Donna Berzatto, the matriarch of the Berzatto family, on The Bear.
—Carson Blackwelder, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
The subject of a true-crime podcast and television specials, the complicated family drama with its matriarch at the forefront was among this summer’s criminal cases of intrigue.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
As Wednesday continues with her reckless use of her psychic abilities, the matriarch of the Addams Family is also trying to stop history from repeating itself, which could see Wednesday face a similar fate to Morticia’s sister, Ophelia Frump.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 5 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 18 Sep. 2025.
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