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
Only then did Gaston’s eldest see that the patriarch was dead.
—
Simon Akam, Vanity Fair, 2 Apr. 2026
Paramount+ announced on April 2 that the Succession actor is returning to television, scoring his first major role since portraying the cantankerous patriarch Logan Roy.
—Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
In a modern Danish farming family, the patriarch Gorm unexpectedly chooses to pass the family farm to his youngest daughter, Astrid, causing a deep rift.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
Immediately, the set-up differs from Scorsese’s version, in which just the patriarch was the lawyer.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Simon Akam, Vanity Fair, 2 Apr. 2026
Paramount+ announced on April 2 that the Succession actor is returning to television, scoring his first major role since portraying the cantankerous patriarch Logan Roy.
—Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
In a modern Danish farming family, the patriarch Gorm unexpectedly chooses to pass the family farm to his youngest daughter, Astrid, causing a deep rift.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
Immediately, the set-up differs from Scorsese’s version, in which just the patriarch was the lawyer.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
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And while the circumstances of his birth may have been historic, Phillips’ education was traditional for the family, following in the footsteps of his uncle Charles and grandfather, Prince Philip, and cutting his teeth at Gordonstoun School in Scotland.—
Stephanie Bridger-Linning,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
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But Koehnemann also learned from his grandfather Ryne Sandberg, a Chicago Cubs legend and 2005 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee who died in Lake Bluff on July 28, 2025.—
Steve Reaven,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In the end, her dad got it, and Barron won an Obie.—
Alex Barasch,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Whether or not a school-age child spends their school day on a screen shouldn’t be dependent on where mom or dad can find a job.—
Abby McCloskey,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Some had Robert Carlson's signature, but many appeared to be signed by his father.—
Carol Thompson,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Set in the last year of World War II on the remote North Sea island of Amrum, the story is told from the point of view of 12-year-old Nanning (Jasper Billerbeck), whose zealot mother (Laura Tonke) is raising him as a good Nazi while his father fights in the war.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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