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

She told BBC Focus on Africa that Gafcon's view was neither theologically nor biblically sound, but more "patriarchal, which is not very useful to the Church".

Read more on BBC

She was usually photographed gazing adoringly up at her husband, often while gathering their children around her in a beatific — and patriarchal — tableau.

Read more on Salon

She takes a broad view of misogyny, including anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs, writing that it is “the hostile enforcement of patriarchal norms and expectations.”

Read more on Salon

Ms Gietty says films like Norma, based on true stories about domestic troubles, can serve as "a space for empowerment for women" in a patriarchal society and give them "the courage to speak up".

Read more on BBC

However, there is speculation that Kim has introduced his daughter at this point to try to overcome prejudice in the deeply patriarchal state, which has never been led by a woman.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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