matriarch

American  

[mey-tree-ahrk] / ˈmeɪ triˌɑrk /

noun

matriarchs plural

1. the female head of a family or tribal line.

2. a woman who is the founder or dominant member of a community or group.

3. a venerable old woman.

---

matriarch British  

/ ˈmeɪtrɪˌɑːk /

noun

1. a woman who dominates an organization, community, etc

2. the female head of a tribe or family, esp in a matriarchy

3. a very old or venerable woman

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• matriarchalism
  noun
• matriarchal
  adjective
• matriarchic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• matriarchs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of matriarch

First recorded in 1600–10; matri- + -arch

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

matriarch matriarchs

Somehow, I found their phone number, and Julia, the matriarch, graciously agreed to my request for an interview.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Later, recounting his fruitless sessions with his hopeless catechumen, Father Mowbray tells the matriarch how he tried to explain to Mottram the concept of papal infallibility:

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

"The Godfather is a page turner," Trigiani wrote, "but when I searched for the matriarch, she was sorely missing."

From Barron's ● May 14, 2026

Where Stacy accepts the burdens and authority of a matriarch, Shyanne spends much of “Margo’s” first season shrugging them off.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

There was no explicable way she knew it, but she sensed this woman was the leader of this peculiar group, its matriarch.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Our services are heavy on the patriarchs—and, for some, the matriarchs too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

In “Nonnas,” Vince Vaughn stars as a fictionalized Scaravella, who opens a restaurant that centers the food and lives of matriarchs.

From Salon ● May 14, 2025

So yeah, that femme performance is so defining of how to hold yourself, to be erect because matriarchs are the oaks of families.

From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2024

“They are not the typical tiger moms or strict matriarchs, like in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ or ‘The Joy Luck Club.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2024

I bit and clawed every hand that grabbed me, and howled protestations against going to school; however, I was no match for the two determined matriarchs.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• matron