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
Set mainly in Dublin, Ireland, and loosely based on the real-life Guinnesses, the historical series focuses on the famous brewery and the family behind it following the death of their patriarch.
—
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025
Danced with Lyndon Johnson and Kennedy family patriarch Joe Kennedy.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
The Duterte family, which has argued that their patriarch’s arrest and subsequent case is politically motivated, still enjoys significant popularity in the Philippines.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
In 2020, Gregson Wagner told Fox News Digital the patriarch didn’t think twice about participating in her documentary to set the record straight.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025
Danced with Lyndon Johnson and Kennedy family patriarch Joe Kennedy.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
The Duterte family, which has argued that their patriarch’s arrest and subsequent case is politically motivated, still enjoys significant popularity in the Philippines.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
In 2020, Gregson Wagner told Fox News Digital the patriarch didn’t think twice about participating in her documentary to set the record straight.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
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Turns out, Todd has inherited the same condition that killed his grandfather (played by low-budget horror legend Larry Fessenden).—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
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On a recent morning, Codie Dufrene, 23, came to collect food for her grandfather and his neighbors, who live 45 minutes from the closest grocery store.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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With three younger siblings still at home at the time of her father’s incident, as the oldest child, Franklin, took care of them while their mom was out of state with their dad.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
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The man's son had asked for a welfare check because his dad hadn’t checked in for a couple of days since sending the photos.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The line in Swift's song and The Life of a Showgirl's cover art appears to be inspired by a Victorian-era painting that depicts the scene in Hamlet when Ophelia goes crazy and falls into a stream and drowns after learning Hamlet killed her father.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
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Clemishire and her father filed the lawsuit in Dallas County District Court in June.—
Nolan Clay,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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Schumer’s actions as paterfamilias of Senate Democrats are often informed by his New York sensibilities.—
Grace Segers,
The New Republic,
13 Sep. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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