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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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
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This recipe is familiar yet revolutionary at the same time, just like your grandfather's stories.—
Mary Alice Russell,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2025
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Pulte, whose grandfather founded the nation’s third-largest homebuilder, PulteGroup, said that privatizing the two companies is not the Trump administration’s top priority this time around.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Following the unexpected turn of events, Guzman documented her dad's journey and shared it on TikTok (@whoevenisval) on February 26.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
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But first, there’s an engrossing look at the life of a multi-faceted woman who grew up in the squeaky-clean 1950s, with a dad who worked in PR for Disney.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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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
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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 17 Mar. 2025.
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