matriarchal
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a matriarch, the female head of a family, tribe, community, etc..
her matriarchal qualities of love and compassion.
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characteristic of an entity, family, etc., controlled by women.
matriarchal cultures in India.
Etymology
Origin of matriarchal
First recorded in 1840–45; matriarch ( def. ) + -al 1 ( def. )
Explanation
You can describe your family as matriarchal if it is full of strong women, headed by your feisty grandmother. A group or society is matriarchal when it is run by women. Anthropologists use the adjective matriarchal to talk about societies that are headed by females. The word comes from the Greek matēr, "mother," and archein, "to rule." The term matriarchal arose as a balance to the traditional patriarchal, male-ruled, concept of society, although feminists and anthropologists often use it to describe societies in which women have equal rights, as well as families or tribes headed by mothers or grandmothers.
Vocabulary lists containing matriarchal
History of India - Introductory
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History of India - Middle School and High School
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arch, archi (chief, most important, rule)
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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.
Hainu, a vestige of the Japanese colonial era, shares some similarities with the centuries-old matriarchal tradition of haenyeo free-diving in South Korea, although Taiwan's sea women do not go underwater.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Both revised characters reflect the matriarchal history of 18th century Scotland, in which women held more powerful roles than modern society associates with old times, the playwright said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
The stoicism of her Seri project is contrasted by the more lighthearted photos she took of people in Juchitán, highlighting the matriarchal culture there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
Fernanda Torres’ stunning performance holds the film together with matriarchal love, but it’s the film’s two codas that have left it lingering in my mind for months.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2025
Medea's contemporaries either lived in a "matriarchal" system without any marriage, or else were bought by their husbands for so many cows.
From Medea of Euripedes by Euripedes
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.
