patriarchal

American  

[pey-tree-ahr-kuhl] / ˌpeɪ triˈɑr kəl /

Sometimes patriarchic,

adjective

1. of or relating to a patriarch, the male head of a family, tribe, community, church, order, etc..

   my father's conservative, patriarchal ways.

2. characteristic of an entity, family, church, etc., controlled by men.

   a patriarchal church in which women are not allowed to hold leadership roles.

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Other Word Forms

• antipatriarchal adjective
• antipatriarchally adverb
• patriarchally adverb
• patriarchically adverb
• quasi-patriarchal adjective
• unpatriarchal adjective
• unpatriarchally adverb

Etymology

Origin of patriarchal

First recorded in 1425–75; from Late Latin patriarchālis, equivalent to patriarch(a) patriarch ( def. ) + Latin -ālis -al ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Ancient, patriarchal and oracular, Tennyson was not merely the poet laureate of England; he was, like his queen, a symbol of the British Empire.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I think that has to be recognised but, of course, the problematic part is that they are inherently anti-democratic, misogynistic and patriarchal."

From BBC

It is puzzling why Ju Ae, a daughter, would be selected as the heir above an older son in North Korea's deeply patriarchal society.

From BBC

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” casts Minneapolis as progressive and neighborly, a bustling metropolis located between stereotypical Midwestern patriarchal stubbornness and a feminist future.

From Salon

"It is a way of asserting women's place in a world and a system that remains deeply patriarchal," stressed Centeno, an expert in non-verbal communication.

From Barron's

Related Words

• autocratic
• dictatorial
• imperious
• rigid
• strict
• totalitarian
• tyrannical