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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of patriarch
The patriarch, Xi Zhongxun, and Xi Jinping himself underwent just huge amounts of personal pain and tragedy.
—
Emily Feng, NPR, 28 May 2025
The Duck Dynasty patriarch died at age 79 on Sunday after being diagnosed in 2024 with Alzheimer’s disease, his family announced in statements on social media.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 26 May 2025
The Barragan’s patriarch died April 13 of natural causes at his home in Duarte, surrounded by family.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
According to traditional narrative logic, audiences should be predisposed to sympathize with this family, who are introduced first and seem like decent Iranian citizens (even if striking a dog doesn’t earn the patriarch any points).
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Emily Feng, NPR, 28 May 2025
The Duck Dynasty patriarch died at age 79 on Sunday after being diagnosed in 2024 with Alzheimer’s disease, his family announced in statements on social media.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 26 May 2025
The Barragan’s patriarch died April 13 of natural causes at his home in Duarte, surrounded by family.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
According to traditional narrative logic, audiences should be predisposed to sympathize with this family, who are introduced first and seem like decent Iranian citizens (even if striking a dog doesn’t earn the patriarch any points).
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
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Her grandfather believed that was untenable, Monica Church said, and instead sought compromise with mining groups, ranchers and others.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
6 June 2025
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In From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, Ana de Armas’ Eve is seeking revenge after the death of her father, Javier (David Castañeda), who was killed in an assassination attempt by his father-in-law and her grandfather, The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) a dozen years before.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
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First of all, my dad was a big baseball fan and grew up watching the Yankees.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
6 June 2025
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Austin shot his dad to protect Georgia and witnessed his mom suffocate Tom.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Noun
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That said, Shane Hawkins has stepped into his father’s role in his long-running side project Chevy Metal.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
2 June 2025
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Amy Adams Strunk Net Worth: $2 billion One-Year Change: 0% Team: Tennessee Titans Source of Wealth: Sports Adams Strunk’s father, the legendary Bud Adams, founded the Houston Oilers in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League, a decade before its official merger with the NFL.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Forbes.com,
2 June 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 17 Jun. 2025.
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