patriarchal
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to a patriarch, the male head of a family, tribe, community, church, order, etc..
my father's conservative, patriarchal ways.
-
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
Etymology
Origin of patriarchal
First recorded in 1425–75; from Late Latin patriarchālis, equivalent to patriarch(a) patriarch ( def. ) + Latin -ālis -al 1 ( def. )
Explanation
A patriarchal system is one run by men. Traditionally, most societies have been patriarchal, but it's now considered sexist and unfair. The patriarchal way used to be pretty much the only way: countries and societies were run by men. The U.S. was very patriarchal, especially when women couldn't even vote. Over time, these things change, though probably not fast enough. These days, calling a country or business patriarchal is usually an insult — it implies that women aren't being treated equally.
Vocabulary lists containing patriarchal
Father's Day Words
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100 SAT words Beginning with "P"
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The Roman Republic, Lessons 3–4
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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.
Earlier, members of Istanbul’s tiny Greek Orthodox community and visitors from neighboring Greece attended an Epiphany service led by Bartholomew I at the Patriarchal Church of St George in Istanbul’s Fener district.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2024
They are thought to have been lost in 1917 when Bulgarian combatants are said to have plundered nearly 900 items from the Theotokos Eikosiphoinissa Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery, often called Kosinitza, in northern Greece.
From New York Times • Apr. 28, 2023
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual head of some 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, leads the Easter Service at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey April 24, 2022.
From Reuters • May 25, 2022
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of Greek Orthodox Christians and the Archbishop of Constantinople, led the liturgy Saturday at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George for Epiphany, commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ.
From Washington Times • Jan. 6, 2018
“The prank is entitled ‘Subverting the Patriarchal Paradigm.’”
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
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.
