matriarch
Americannoun
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the female head of a family or tribal line.
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a woman who is the founder or dominant member of a community or group.
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a venerable old woman.
noun
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a woman who dominates an organization, community, etc
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the female head of a tribe or family, esp in a matriarchy
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a very old or venerable woman
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of matriarch
Explanation
Rose Kennedy was the matriarch of the Kennedy clan — she was the female head of the family. This noun can also be used metaphorically. For instance, Alice Waters could be called the matriarch of Chez Panisse and the generation of chefs that her revolutionary restaurant inspired. Although matriarch was created as a parallel term to patriarch, this eighteenth-century new creation was based on a false etymology. Although patri- might look related to the Latin pater "father," it actually comes from the Greek patria "family." Presumably, it was assumed that such a person would be a man. In any case, patriarch has come to mean the male head of a family or clan, while matriarch is used if the head of a family or clan is female.
Vocabulary lists containing matriarch
Play by the Rules: Arch
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The Mother of All Lists: Mater, Matr
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It's All in the Family
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As for whether we can expect Matriarch to be adapted into a reality series, Knowles is reticent.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2025
“Now with this position that me and Hannah are in, the ethos and philosophy we have with Matriarch is to try to create opportunities for kids like us.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025
Midthunder plays Miss Matriarch as kind and eager, perhaps a little bit too eager.
From Salon • Aug. 31, 2022
Two weeks ago, Mrs. Meggett, who has never used a cookbook during her 78 years in the kitchen, published her own: “Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes From the Matriarch of Edisto Island.”
From New York Times • May 9, 2022
Grandmother was the Matriarch of the House of Wong.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
