as in grandfather
a man who is the head of a family
Investors worried that the aging patriarch was soon to be replaced atop the family business by his less reliable oldest son.
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Recent Examples of patriarch
In the first few seasons of the time-hopping melodrama This Is Us, Milo Ventimiglia’s Jack is positioned as the patriarch of the Pearson family, yet is only shown in flashbacks to the family’s early days.
—
Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
Meanwhile, Joseph is a popular first name in the Kennedy family, going back to the patriarch, Joseph Kennedy Sr.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 1 June 2026
Family patriarch Billy Brown died in 2021.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 1 June 2026
Billy Brown, patriarch of the Brown family, died in 2021 after suffering a seizure.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
Meanwhile, Joseph is a popular first name in the Kennedy family, going back to the patriarch, Joseph Kennedy Sr.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 1 June 2026
Family patriarch Billy Brown died in 2021.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 1 June 2026
Billy Brown, patriarch of the Brown family, died in 2021 after suffering a seizure.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
-
Her grandfather, Ub Iwerks, helped to design Mickey Mouse, and her father, Don Iwerks, spent 35 years as a camera technician at the company.—
Matthew Jacobs,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
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While his grandfather and father made their living as defensive coaches, Ryan’s specialty has been offense, dating back to his time as a receiver on Clemson’s 2016 National Championship team.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
With nothing holding her down but a dead-end job and an aging dad, a small-town Texan girl is swiftly bedazzled by a smooth criminal drifter, and hops into his car to pursue a life less ordinary.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
7 June 2026
-
In fact, the new graduate recently made his acting debut alongside his dad Oliver in the Netflix rom-com A Merry Little Ex-Mas.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
His father then held the seat from 2003 until 2011.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
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Similarly compelling is ‘Home Going,’ in which Clemmons traces her father’s family’s migration to Los Angeles in the 1970s, motivated by the promise of economic opportunities that had previously seemed out of reach for Black people.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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