PATRIARCHAL Synonyms: 95 Similar and Opposite Words

patriarchal

adjective

Definition of patriarchal

as in clerical

Related Words

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Dissimilar Words

as in older

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 patriarchal The use of pseudonyms by female writers born in the nineteenth century is typically understood as a feminist loophole around the patriarchal suppression of women’s writing. — Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026 In the early years of Mormonism, polygamy was understood to reinstate the patriarchal and polygamous cultural norms of the Hebrew patriarchs, as depicted in the Hebrew Bible. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026 That’s not to make excuses, but to put in context, what is also a sputtering, screwball-y film about masculine roles in a waning patriarchal society. — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026 Bangladeshi cinema has been equally insistent on subverting patriarchal stereotypes. — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for patriarchal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarchal

Adjective

By the 1980s, England was beginning its turn away from churchgoing as a cornerstone of society, so nothing as extroverted or nakedly clerical as gospel choirs would fit a downcast, monochromatic land anyhow.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Rubio said the inclusive presentation was in keeping with the effort, begun by Pope Francis, to make the church less clerical and more reflective of the real world.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of clerical

Adjective

Somebody like Gilroy or Jeff Kober and Barry Corbin (popping up occasionally as a pair of geriatric gangsters) will come and go in situations knowingly designed to feel contrived.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
Ossoff, seen as a potential 2028 contender, said geriatric politicians have little comprehension of AI technology.

— Jill Colvin, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of geriatric

Adjective

On June 2, 1979, Pope John Paul II set out from Rome on an apostolic journey, as papal trips away from the Vatican are called.

— Paul Elie, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church directed his remarks to university students at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, during an 11-day apostolic journey in Africa.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026

Definition of apostolic

Adjective

An elderly couple was found dead inside their house on Andover Avenue in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Wednesday afternoon.

— Amanda Callahan, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
The former owner of several unlicensed North Texas boarding homes was sentenced this week to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges tied to the abuse and fatal neglect of elderly and disabled clients in her care.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of elderly

Adjective

The Illinois native returned to his priestly roots with his last TV appearance as Father Tobias on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives.

— Rachel Flynn, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Parsi priesthood is hereditary, meaning all the boys here have been born into priestly families.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 21 June 2026

Definition of priestly

Adjective

The agency, which reps for PR the likes of Danny Dyer, Lolly Adefope and Shazad Latif along with BAFTA and numerous production companies, has a new senior leader team led by founder and CEO Will Wood.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
The executive, who was worked alongside three of Chanel’s four official creative directors, is the last of a generation of senior executives to remain in place, following the arrival in 2021 of Leena Nair as global chief executive officer of Chanel.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of senior

Adjective

The group formed after students went viral for holding a mock papal election in their classroom.

— Darius Johnson, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Church officials in Argentina, the homeland of Leo's predecessor Pope Francis, urged parishioners to put the pontiff's well-being ahead of their excitement over the country’s first papal visit in four decades.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of papal

Adjective

The home of the witches led by Supreme Cordelia Goode (Sarah Paulson) contrasts the devil’s penthouse with its reappearance, according to production designer Anu Schwartz, its opalescent interiors embodying the bright magic of the matriarchal coven.

— Mekita Rivas, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2026
Lemurs also have complex social hierarchies and are uniquely matriarchal for primates.

— Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 July 2026

Definition of matriarchal

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patriarch

patriarchal

patriarchs

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“Patriarchal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarchal. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of patriarchal

adjective

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