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
- antipatriarchal adjective
- antipatriarchally adverb
- patriarchally adverb
- patriarchically adverb
- quasi-patriarchal adjective
- unpatriarchal adjective
- unpatriarchally adverb
Etymology
Origin of patriarchal
First recorded in 1425–75; from Late Latin patriarchālis, equivalent to patriarch(a) patriarch ( def. ) + Latin -ālis -al 1 ( def. )
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.
It means a patriarchal society and a political system that has long been dominated by men is now led by a woman.
From BBC
As in “Blue Bloods,” there is family to spare, though the patriarchal thrust of the parent series here becomes matriarchal.
From Los Angeles Times
Rakib Ehsan also emphasises the concerns some people have over public safety, as long as most migrants continue to be young men from "deeply patriarchal societies".
From BBC
The film strings together the stories of several women, some of whom have just been released from prison, as they help each other navigate a restricted existence in a patriarchal reality.
From Los Angeles Times
In a deeply patriarchal society, many link western clothing, especially jeans, to the "moral degradation" of young people.
From BBC
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.
