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.
Related Words
Relevance
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 patriarch
Duvall plays the patriarch of a family of lifelong Chicago politicians, a figure whom anyone from the Windy City can feel the accuracy of in their bones.
—
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2026
Thirty-one years after founding the Vans Warped Tour, the pop-punk patriarch is looking at the modern music industry with a mixture of confusion and frustration.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026
Yet Earnshaw’s ready affection for Heathcliff, despite his children’s initial horror on seeing the dirty orphan, demonstrates a certain broadmindedness on the patriarch’s part.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
That’s where patriarch Mychal Thompson, the former Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers center, remembered watching his then-8-year-old son, Klay, hoisting shot after shot from the center of his chest, splashing each one through the net.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2026
Thirty-one years after founding the Vans Warped Tour, the pop-punk patriarch is looking at the modern music industry with a mixture of confusion and frustration.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026
Yet Earnshaw’s ready affection for Heathcliff, despite his children’s initial horror on seeing the dirty orphan, demonstrates a certain broadmindedness on the patriarch’s part.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
That’s where patriarch Mychal Thompson, the former Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers center, remembered watching his then-8-year-old son, Klay, hoisting shot after shot from the center of his chest, splashing each one through the net.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
-
My grandfather was a prominent psychoanalyst, one of the founders of the Institute for Psychoanalysis in Chicago.—
Debra Manetta,
STAT,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Oyster House has been run by the Mink family since 1947, when Sam's grandfather bought the business.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Both owe a lot of their success and development to Pomona assistant coach Ben Barrows, Derek’s biological dad and Kalob’s adopted dad.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Because everybody has got brothers and sisters and moms and dads and family members.—
Dan Hyman,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Kim’s teenage daughter, widely believed to be named Ju Ae, again appeared prominently at the parade beside her father.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The mother of Tilly Servin, a toddler who prosecutors believe was tortured to death in Long Beach last year, is suing Los Angeles County’s child protection agency for leaving her daughter in the custody of the child’s father, who was previously sentenced to four years in prison for child abuse.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
