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
Long before Helen Mirren played tenacious and terrifying matriarchs in 1923 and MobLand, the Oscar-winning icon had already proven her ability to play tough-as-nails characters in the classic British procedural Prime Suspect.
—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
West's grandmother, Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner, also paid tribute to the teen in an Instagram post of her own.
—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Ian Barford, who plays the verbose and focused Hermann, drives the play as a Jewish entrepreneur who understands the need to plan ahead, and Barbara Robertson, the matriarch of the family and the evening, stands tall here.
—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
In MobLand, Mirren plays Maeve Harrigan, matriarch of the Harrigan crime family, married to Pierce Brosnan’s Conrad.
—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for matriarch
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
West's grandmother, Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner, also paid tribute to the teen in an Instagram post of her own.
—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Ian Barford, who plays the verbose and focused Hermann, drives the play as a Jewish entrepreneur who understands the need to plan ahead, and Barbara Robertson, the matriarch of the family and the evening, stands tall here.
—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
In MobLand, Mirren plays Maeve Harrigan, matriarch of the Harrigan crime family, married to Pierce Brosnan’s Conrad.
—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 June 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.
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The empress dowager’s legacy Empress Dowager Ling was largely unsuccessful in her bid for power.
Noun
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The May 28 fire tore through a dormitory housing 202 students at the Utumishi Girls School in central Kenya, and students were forced to flee through a single doorway when the school matron failed to open an emergency exit.
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The matron on duty, Annie Leewright, booked the woman into jail.
Cite this Entry
“Matriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matriarch. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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