matriarchal

[ mey-tree-ahr-kuhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a matriarch, the female head of a family, tribe, community, etc.:

   her matriarchal qualities of love and compassion.

2. characteristic of an entity, family, etc., controlled by women:

   matriarchal cultures in India.

Word History and Origins

Origin of matriarchal¹

First recorded in 1840–45; matriarch ( def ) + -al ¹( def )

Example Sentences

He was, however, surprised by the strength of the gender bias that Wardle’s team discovered and wonders whether people living in matriarchal societies would show the same — or perhaps the opposite — bias in their reading of faces.

From Science News

Navajo are matriarchal and all land claims are through the women.

From Outside Online

Elephants live in matriarchal family groups, meaning an older, usually more experienced female is typically the boss.

From Time

In the process, they often wind up battling a distorted matriarchal figure like the fabled “evil stepmother” — usually a woman who’s eschewed the traditional societal role that the princess seems destined to embrace and accept.

From Vox

It’s worth pointing out that bonobos are matriarchal, whereas chimpanzees are dominated by the big males.

From Nautilus

Jane was raised in a matriarchal family by her hyper-religious grandma and young, aspiring singer single mother.

From The Daily Beast

How did Glawogger gain access to such a closed matriarchal world?

From The Daily Beast

By calling in the matriarchal troops, Elin effectively changed the rules of the game.

From The Daily Beast

The door was opened shortly by a tall, kindly woman, of a rather matriarchal turn.

From Project Gutenberg

Arjuna had effected a temporary exogamous marriage according to matriarchal customs.

From Project Gutenberg

The annual celebration of the Thesmophoria clearly derived its origin from matriarchal times.

From Project Gutenberg

After the dissolution of the matriarchal gens, the patriarchal gens took its place with considerably diminished functions.

From Project Gutenberg

Apparently the Latin tribes who participated in the foundation of Rome had already superseded the matriarchal development.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• esteemed
• grand
• revered
• stately
• venerated