patriarchal
[pey-tree-ahr-kuh l]
- 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: the highly patriarchal Mormon church.
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Sometimes pa·tri·ar·chic, pa·tri·ar·chi·cal.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for patriarchal
Contemporary Examples
And yes, that authoritarian, patriarchal guru-power structure, invariably, always leads to abuses.
In a patriarchal society—our society—a naked woman is a dangerous thing.
A Respectable, Non-Exploitative Story About Kim Kardashian’s Bare-Naked, Greased-Up AssAmy Zimmerman
November 13, 2014
It seems that, in doing away with patriarchal authority, we have also, perhaps unwittingly, killed off all the grown-ups.
Never mind that the patriarchal belief system woven throughout the cartoon content is itself shockingly outdated.
Because marriage is a patriarchal, sexist institution that should be discarded rather than reformed.
Historical Examples
She, too, seems determined to make me the patriarchal leader of a band.
The Letters of Robert BurnsRobert Burns
Existing marriage is a pernicious survival of the patriarchal age.
The Truth About WomanC. Gasquoine Hartley
It is a part of the patriarchal custom which regards women as property.
The Truth About WomanC. Gasquoine Hartley
It was the portrait of an old man with a beautiful forehead and a patriarchal face.
The Eternal CityHall Caine
I had never before and have never since seen such a patriarchal figure.
The Woman Thou Gavest MeHall Caine
Word Origin and History for patriarchal
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper