patriarchal

Sometimes patri·archic,

[pey-tree-ahr-kuhl]

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of patriarchal¹

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

Example Sentences

It means a patriarchal society and a political system that has long been dominated by men is now led by a woman.

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As in “Blue Bloods,” there is family to spare, though the patriarchal thrust of the parent series here becomes matriarchal.

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Rakib Ehsan also emphasises the concerns some people have over public safety, as long as most migrants continue to be young men from "deeply patriarchal societies".

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The film strings together the stories of several women, some of whom have just been released from prison, as they help each other navigate a restricted existence in a patriarchal reality.

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In a deeply patriarchal society, many link western clothing, especially jeans, to the "moral degradation" of young people.

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Related Words

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