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
Even under layers of prosthetics, Kinnaman made Ed the model for that ideology, both in his activist work and his role as the patriarch of the Baldwin family, encouraging daughter Kelly (Cynthy Wu) and grandson Alex (Sean Kaufman) to find their own passions.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Leo spoke during a gathering of top bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, an Eastern Rite Catholic church whose clerics are in Rome to elect a new patriarch.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
The Greek patriarch will light candles and then the flame is passed from one candle to the next.
—Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The patriarch attempts to repair the damage in dramatic fashion by renting a giant villa in Turks and Caicos.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Leo spoke during a gathering of top bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, an Eastern Rite Catholic church whose clerics are in Rome to elect a new patriarch.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
The Greek patriarch will light candles and then the flame is passed from one candle to the next.
—Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The patriarch attempts to repair the damage in dramatic fashion by renting a giant villa in Turks and Caicos.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
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He was born and raised in central Pennsylvania where his father and grandfather taught him to hunt and fish.—
Derek Horner,
Outdoor Life,
16 Apr. 2026
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Her penchant for shirting is, by all accounts, a natural one, passed down by her father and grandfather—both bespoke tailors who instilled in her an exacting eye for quality and execution.—
Talia Abbas,
Vogue,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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My dad never got over my college choice and our relationship was harmed.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
12 Apr. 2026
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And Dane, who portrayed Nate’s repressed dad Cal Jacobs, died in February following a battle with ALS, after filming scenes for the show’s final season.—
Alli Rosenbloom,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Neither could Kendall, who had spent happy teenage years there with his father, stepmother, and brothers—and was still launching his boat from a dock on the property to work his oyster beds.—
Jennifer Stewart Kornegay,
Southern Living,
15 Apr. 2026
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Augustine, a bishop in the late fourth and early fifth centuries, is the spiritual father of the Augustinian order of which the pontiff is a member and former leader.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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