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
Most recently, O’Hara is best known for portraying over-the-top actress and matriarch Moira Rose in the hit sitcom Schitt’s Creek opposite Eugene Levy, who played her husband, Johnny Rose, and her on-screen kids Dan Levy (David Rose) and Annie Murphy (Alexis Rose).
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Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
O'Hara, who died on January 30 at the age of 71, played eccentric, loveable matriarch Moira Rose.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 31 Jan. 2026
No mountain was high enough for Motown’s matriarch.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
If Lola Heatherton anticipated every O’Hara artist character to come, the show’s matriarch, Moira Rose, represents their apex and culmination.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for matriarch
Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
O'Hara, who died on January 30 at the age of 71, played eccentric, loveable matriarch Moira Rose.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 31 Jan. 2026
No mountain was high enough for Motown’s matriarch.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
If Lola Heatherton anticipated every O’Hara artist character to come, the show’s matriarch, Moira Rose, represents their apex and culmination.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 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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Everyone's favorite gossip, Adjoa Andoh will return as Lady Danbury, the town's societal matron and unofficial matchmaker.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
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The style, penned by legendary jewelry designer Jean Schlumberger in the 1960s, has grown from a society matron’s must-have to an intelligent gentleman’s accessory.—
Justin Fenner,
Robb Report,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Matriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matriarch. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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