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
Macy was a six-time Emmy nominee for his role as patriarch Frank Gallagher on Showtime’s Shameless and previously recurred on ER; he’s mainly known for his film works in movies like Fargo, Boogie Nights and Magnolia.
—
Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 23 July 2025
After the series ended, Flynn found another comedy crew, portraying patriarch Mike Heck on ABC's family comedy The Middle opposite Patricia Heaton.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 21 July 2025
Christopher Plummer, who played the family patriarch Captain von Trapp, died in 2021 at the age of 91.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2025
When the 77-year-old patriarch of a centuries-old New Jersey farm died in early August, more than 1,300 people commented beneath a Facebook post announcing the passing of the eighth-generation farmer.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 23 July 2025
After the series ended, Flynn found another comedy crew, portraying patriarch Mike Heck on ABC's family comedy The Middle opposite Patricia Heaton.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 21 July 2025
Christopher Plummer, who played the family patriarch Captain von Trapp, died in 2021 at the age of 91.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2025
When the 77-year-old patriarch of a centuries-old New Jersey farm died in early August, more than 1,300 people commented beneath a Facebook post announcing the passing of the eighth-generation farmer.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
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The fiddle resting on his shoulder belonged to his great, great grandfather and dates to around 1900.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
16 Aug. 2025
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Photos from Kaela Leone's TikTok video of her sister and grandfather meeting for her wedding.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Aa Anne Hathaway recently proved with her Chanel dad sandals, or Hailey Bieber with her slippers, comfort in footwear is paramount.—
María Munsuri,
Glamour,
16 Aug. 2025
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Rogers and Devane’s TV daughter, the aforementioned Kimberly McCullough (aka GH’s Robin), previously paid her respects to her on-screen dad.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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During the meeting, the group read from a page and a half of cases of immigrants detained this year, including a father suffering from leukemia in metro Detroit with three children who was arrested five days ago, Kovari said.—
Niraj Warikoo,
Freep.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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This gets tricky when her father sends Demi to watch over (or spy on) her at school.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There’s also a concern about acting as if your son were a source of shame, a secret to be hidden from the paterfamilias.—
Kwame Anthony Appiah,
New York Times,
9 Aug. 2022
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In a sense this is a classic family drama: the struggle over the paterfamilias’s legacy, complete with allegations of late-in-life changes to the will.—
Benjamin Soskis,
Town & Country,
27 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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