patriarch

Definition of patriarchnext
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

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 Sometimes finding the right trees can be an adventure, hiking into forests and mountains to find the oldest trees, patriarchs that hold centuries of information. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 28 June 2026 Instead, Reynolds observes that these sober men bore little resemblance to the roistering patriarchs of the remote plantations. James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 Not the comedian or podcaster or the reality TV patriarch. Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 26 June 2026 Miles Teller plays a straight-as-an-arrow, hardworking engineer patriarch. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
  • Goodhouse recalled stories his grandfather would tell him of their ancestors who were in the Hunkpapa camp when troops attacked.
    ABC News, ABC News, 25 June 2026
  • For Rohrman, whose family business made its name in the Chicago area with his late grandfather’s low–budget TV commercials, listing his autos on Amazon may be the sales pitch of the future.
    Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026
Noun
  • Both his parents supported him making the roughly 8,000-mile journey around the world, his dad in particular.
    Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026
  • Carr always had his dad, Chris Carr, to lean on during his journey as a basketball player.
    Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026
Noun
  • The news of the arrest caught the attention of the family of Amy McHale, a woman who was once married to Horsch’s father and disappeared nearly 10 years ago.
    Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
  • Her oldest sister, Sonia Gonzalez, said Gonzalez reminds her a lot of their father, who reinvented himself many times over the years.
    Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.

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