patriarchy

American  

[pey-tree-ahr-kee] / ˈpeɪ triˌɑr ki /

noun

• patriarchies
  plural

1. a form of social organization in which the father is the supreme authority in the family, clan, or tribe and descent is reckoned in the male line, with the children belonging to the father's clan or tribe.

2. a society, community, or country based on this social organization.

3. a social system in which power is held by men, through cultural norms and customs that favor men and withhold opportunity from women.

   The corporate glass ceiling is one consequence of patriarchy in education and business.

4. Often the Patriarchy the men in power in a society.

   The Patriarchy is vested in maintenance of the status quo.

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patriarchy British  

/ ˈpeɪtrɪˌɑːkɪ /

noun

1. a form of social organization in which a male is the head of the family and descent, kinship, and title are traced through the male line

2. any society governed by such a system

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patriarchy Cultural  

1. A family or society in which authority is vested in males, through whom descent and inheritance are traced. (See also matriarchy and primogeniture.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antipatriarchy
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• patriarchies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of patriarchy

First recorded in 1555–65; ultimately from Greek patriarchía, derivation of patriárchēs and -ía noun suffix; see origin at patriarch ( def. ), -y ³ ( def. )

Explanation

A patriarchy is a social system or organization run by men. If Dad always gets the last word in your house, then you're living under a patriarchy! A patriarchy is a social or political system with one or several men in charge. It may refer to society at large or to one segment, such as the Catholic Church, with the Archbishop and Pope in positions of power. The word can also describe family systems, especially when relationships and property are determined by males. In modern times patriarchy is often considered to be oppressive to women; if you’re a feminist, then you’re definitely not a fan of patriarchy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

patriarchy patriarchies

Markus Schleinzer's "Rose" premiered at the Berlin film festival Sunday, with Sandra Hueller playing a woman in 17th-century Germany trying to escape the strictures of patriarchy by passing herself off as a man.

From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026

In Malayalam cinema, Feminichi Fathima - with "Feminichi" a social-media distortion of "feminist" - used humour to follow a Muslim housewife's quiet rebellion against patriarchy.

From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026

“What’s in decline is patriarchy, and people’s demand for it,” she added.

From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2025

Swift’s engagement to the football star was long anticipated by her die-hard fans, who for years studied her lyrics about heartbreak and the patriarchy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2025

Maybe having a mom who also wants to dismantle the patriarchy and a dad who wears frilly aprons will do that.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

But it has retained the grammatical norms of ancient patriarchies.

From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2022

Instead they serve the story’s bracingly modern sensibility, its insistence on dramatizing the injustices of the past while confronting the patriarchies of the present.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2018

“I want to contribute our idea that most of human history was very different from what we have today, with our monotheistic patriarchies and their ‘pyramid’ structures of authority from the top,” she said.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 19, 2015

Many of Africa’s Christians also practice F.G.M., and in any event, it didn’t originate with any of the three patriarchies we call monotheism.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 23, 2014

For some this undoes all the film’s good work in deconstructing, destabilizing, and generally dissing oppressive male patriarchies.

From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2012