matriarchal

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 matriarchal Beyond primates, elephant, orca, and hyena societies all have matriarchal structures. Rj MacKenzie, Popular Science, 28 Aug. 2025 In a recent interview with USA TODAY, the 66-year-old Curtis opened up about returning to her matriarchal character over 20 years later. Jay Stahl, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2025 In Taiwanese-traditional matriarchal fashion, the grandmother starts fretting over twenty-something I-Ann’s (the filmmakers found Ma on Instagram) looser way of dress. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 May 2025 While matriarchal power struggles may not resonate with human women, another mother at the zoo faced an all-too-familiar Mother’s Day letdown. Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 11 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for matriarchal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for matriarchal
Adjective
  • In my new thriller The Gallery Assistant, a female artist slated to be shown by the gallery where my protagonist, Chloe, works, is found murdered in her loft the morning after a party.
    Kate Belli, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Searchlight nixed production following an investigation into star Bill Murray, who was accused of unwanted kissing by a female staffer.
    Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The preference for sons is rooted in a patriarchal structure where boys are expected to carry on the family lineage, inherit property, and perform essential last rites for their parents.
    Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
  • As fear and prejudice take hold, Lidia and her family must navigate the growing hysteria surrounding queerness, disease and desire in a deeply patriarchal society.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The conservative desire to return to an earlier heyday—one that is rustic, masculine, and rugged, rather than soft, feminine, and urban—is ancient.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Altogether, the ensemble was similar to countryside ‘fits worn by her predecessors, Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth, who had mastered the art of sporty but still feminine dressing for the UK’s chillier climates.
    Sam Reed, Glamour, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Take Prada’s Spring-Summer 2023 show, where sheer, matronly nightdresses and housecoats were shown with heeled Mary Janes and tightly gripped clutch bags.
    Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 29 July 2025
  • After years of matronly tankinis, there are now some great plus-size swim pieces available on the market, including this scarlet snake-print one-piece from Nomads Swimwear.
    Sarah Chiwaya, Refinery29, 6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Hollywood legend Cary Grant goes full-on slapstick as a man who discovers his sweet elderly aunts are actually serial killers.
    Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
  • This proposes altering the state constitution to increase the property tax exemption for homesteads owned by elderly or disabled individuals from $10,000 to $60,000 of the market value.
    James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The British designer made a stealthy comeback in 2023 with a namesake label hinged on her brand of modern minimalism, womanly allure and uncompromising quality.
    WWD Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • McQuarrie’s feats lack the comic timing, composition, and emotionalism that cartoonist-director Brad Bird brought to the thrilling Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Ethan/Tom spider-walking the Burj Khalifa skyscraper and outrunning a dust storm, Paula Patton’s womanly catfight with Léa Seydoux).
    Armond White, National Review, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • That's not to say all of Golden State's top contributors are geriatric.
    Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Yet that same 30-year period saw a flurry of research and activity to try to reduce geriatric falls and their potentially devastating consequences, from hip fractures and brain bleeds to restricted mobility, persistent pain, and institutionalization.
    Paula Span, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In a Commonwealth Athletic Conference match, Shawsheen Tech bested Innovation Academy, 3-0, as senior Francesca Reardon earned seven kills and four aces.
    Kristina Banahan, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The senior scored on touchdown runs of 75 and 7 yards to open the scoring in the third quarter.
    Dan Albano, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Matriarchal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matriarchal. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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