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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
The film follows a fraught mother-daughter relationship put to a terrifying test when the family patriarch dies.
—
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 Feb. 2025
Bandit — David McCormack David McCormack voices the lovable Heeler family patriarch Bandit (a.k.a. Dad), a hardworking archaeologist and dedicated father to Bluey and Bingo.
Outside of Bluey, McCormack is best known as the frontman for Australian rock band Custard.
—EW.com, 21 Feb. 2025
His character is the family patriarch and an abusive alcoholic.
—Michael Paulson, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
The 1923 cast includes Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton, the patriarch of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch and the brother of James Dutton (Tim McGraw), the main character of 1883.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 Feb. 2025
Bandit — David McCormack David McCormack voices the lovable Heeler family patriarch Bandit (a.k.a. Dad), a hardworking archaeologist and dedicated father to Bluey and Bingo.
Outside of Bluey, McCormack is best known as the frontman for Australian rock band Custard.
—EW.com, 21 Feb. 2025
His character is the family patriarch and an abusive alcoholic.
—Michael Paulson, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
The 1923 cast includes Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton, the patriarch of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch and the brother of James Dutton (Tim McGraw), the main character of 1883.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
-
Journalism is part of my heritage: My great great grandfather was a Civil War correspondent for the Chicago Tribune.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Brown, whose father and grandfather were both combat veterans, has held multiple combat commands and logged 130 combat hours as a fighter pilot.—
Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards,
Orlando Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
My dad’s dosas were perfection—paper-thin, lacey, crispy, filling.—
Urmila Ramakrishnan,
Bon Appétit,
1 Mar. 2025
-
At the start of the show, Pratt’s character Breanna ends up living with her dad for the first time after her mom moves to Nova Scotia.—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Her father Subbarayudu Konanki and a family friend reportedly filed a complaint on Sunday calling for local police to expand the investigation.—
Greg Norman,
Fox News,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Desperate for any chance to assist his father, Samson Calthorpe jumps at the opportunity to become an English court spy.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
There’s also a concern about acting as if your son were a source of shame, a secret to be hidden from the paterfamilias.—
Kwame Anthony Appiah,
New York Times,
9 Aug. 2022
-
In a sense this is a classic family drama: the struggle over the paterfamilias’s legacy, complete with allegations of late-in-life changes to the will.—
Benjamin Soskis,
Town & Country,
27 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share