matriarch
noun
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A matriarchy is a social unit governed by a woman or group of women. It isn't certain that a true matriarchal society has ever existed, so matriarchy is usually treated as an imaginative concept. But there are societies in which relatedness through women rather than men is stressed, and elements of matriarchy may be stronger in certain societies than they are in most of the Western world. And most of us can point to families in which a woman has become the dominant figure, or grande dame, or matriarch.
Examples of matriarch in a Sentence
Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 12 Feb. 2025
Central to Diotima’s Fall/Winter 2025 is the maternal figure, the matriarch.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 11 Feb. 2025
Posey’s Victoria Ratliff is one of the early standouts of the season, playing a southern matriarch married to Isaacs and mother to Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook and Sam Nivola.
—Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025
The matriarch of the family, Donna Kelce, is fourth in line of succession in case of emergency.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2025
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Dictionary Entries Near matriarch
Cite this Entry
“Matriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/matriarch. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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matriarch
noun
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