as in fathers
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 patriarchs
The road continues from Beersheba to Hebron, home to the Cave of the Patriarchs, purchased by Abraham some 3,800 years ago and traditionally regarded as the resting place of the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs.
—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Rebekah, in the Hebrew Bible, matriarch who is the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob, both key patriarchs.
—
Charles Preston,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 Mar. 2026
What father would ever allow such devastation, assuring fellow patriarchs that their lives without sons would be ruined forever?
—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Perhaps, for a man who has always lived in the shadow of distant patriarchs, the only thing worse than perpetually wondering what his father really thought would be finding out for sure.
—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
After that session, the three patriarchs began reaching out to other heavyweight clans.
—
Mike Desimone,
Robb Report,
27 Dec. 2025
In addition to Leo and Bartholomew, the participants of the commemorative service included priests, patriarchs and bishops from Orthodox Greek, Syrian, Coptic, Malankarese, Armenian, Protestant and Anglican churches.
—
Arkansas Online,
29 Nov. 2025
Forty years after opening, Union Square Cafe is one of the prosperous patriarchs of the New York restaurant world.
—
Christine Muhlke,
Air Mail,
20 Sep. 2025
Popes and Orthodox patriarchs honor him, and Pärt’s music has received the highest levels of recognition, including Grammy Awards.
—
Jeffers Engelhardt,
The Conversation,
10 Sep. 2025
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Rebekah, in the Hebrew Bible, matriarch who is the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob, both key patriarchs.
—
Charles Preston,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 Mar. 2026
What father would ever allow such devastation, assuring fellow patriarchs that their lives without sons would be ruined forever?
—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Perhaps, for a man who has always lived in the shadow of distant patriarchs, the only thing worse than perpetually wondering what his father really thought would be finding out for sure.
—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
After that session, the three patriarchs began reaching out to other heavyweight clans.
—
Mike Desimone,
Robb Report,
27 Dec. 2025
In addition to Leo and Bartholomew, the participants of the commemorative service included priests, patriarchs and bishops from Orthodox Greek, Syrian, Coptic, Malankarese, Armenian, Protestant and Anglican churches.
—
Arkansas Online,
29 Nov. 2025
Forty years after opening, Union Square Cafe is one of the prosperous patriarchs of the New York restaurant world.
—
Christine Muhlke,
Air Mail,
20 Sep. 2025
Popes and Orthodox patriarchs honor him, and Pärt’s music has received the highest levels of recognition, including Grammy Awards.
—
Jeffers Engelhardt,
The Conversation,
10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarchs
Noun
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While some of the wives wouldn’t bother coming to games every Sunday, Michel said, many of the children saw the Feeney fathers as proper heroes.
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The play, which was a finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, follows three adult children who meet to settle their fathers’ estate, and, in the process, discover secrets about their parents’ lives.
Noun
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One of his great-great-grandfathers, Ned, was enslaved in Texas before being freed on Juneteenth.
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Happy Father’s Day to fathers everywhere — birth fathers, stepfathers, adoptive and foster fathers, grandfathers, and all of you caring men who mentor children and fill the role of absent dads.
Noun
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Depressed dads are more prone to expressing aggravation, annoyance or even rage, Daniel Singley, a psychologist who founded a therapy center for men, said to the Times.
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The Chicago Cubs have two first-time dads, Dansby Swanson and Javier Assad, who are celebrating Father’s Day on Sunday with a deep appreciation of how fatherhood can affect their lives.
Cite this Entry
“Patriarchs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarchs. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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