patriarch
noun
pa·tri·arch
ˈpā-trē-ˌärk 
1
a
: one of the scriptural fathers of the human race or of the Hebrew people
Abraham was a patriarch of the Israelites.
b
: a man who is father or founder
The newspaper patriarch celebrated his 90th birthday.
c(1)
: the oldest member or representative of a group
The cypress … is the patriarch of native trees, going back to the time of the dinosaur.—
Amer. Guide Series: Texas
Amer. Guide Series: Texas
(2)
: a venerable old man
… a whiskered patriarch, spry for his age …—Frank Sullivan
Frank Sullivan
d
: a man who is head of a patriarchy
2
a
: any of the bishops of the ancient or Eastern Orthodox sees of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem or the ancient and Western see of Rome with authority over other bishops
b
: the head of any of various Eastern churches
c
: a Roman Catholic bishop next in rank to the pope with purely titular or with metropolitan (see metropolitan entry 2 sense 1) jurisdiction
3
: a Latter-day Saint of the Melchizedek priesthood empowered to perform the ordinances of the church and pronounce blessings within a stake or prescribed jurisdiction
Examples of patriarch in a Sentence
Our grandfather was the family's patriarch.
The tribe's patriarch ruled for 20 years before his death.
Recent Examples on the Web
In MobLand, co-directed by Guy Ritchie, Hardy plays Harry Da Souza, a fixer for the Harrigan crime family led by patriarch Conrad (Brosnan) and matriarch Maeve (Mirren).
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
Dolan family patriarch Charles built the family’s first fortune on the back of cable television by founding HBO and building Cablevision into a behemoth that was sold to Altice in 2016 for $18 billion.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 26 May 2026
Sebastian Stan makes an unexpected turn as a conservative evangelical patriarch in this new film from 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days director Cristian Mungiu.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 26 May 2026
Sonia Cheng, daughter of family patriarch Henry Cheng, serves as Rosewood’s CEO, as well as the chair of jewelry chain Chow Tai Fook Jewelry.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
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Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
Dolan family patriarch Charles built the family’s first fortune on the back of cable television by founding HBO and building Cablevision into a behemoth that was sold to Altice in 2016 for $18 billion.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 26 May 2026
Sebastian Stan makes an unexpected turn as a conservative evangelical patriarch in this new film from 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days director Cristian Mungiu.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 26 May 2026
Sonia Cheng, daughter of family patriarch Henry Cheng, serves as Rosewood’s CEO, as well as the chair of jewelry chain Chow Tai Fook Jewelry.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Cite this Entry
“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patriarch. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
patriarch
noun
pa·tri·arch
ˈpā-trē-ˌärk
1
a
: one of the Old Testament fathers of the human race or of the Hebrew people
b
: the father and ruler of a family or tribe
c
: an old man deserving respect
2
: any of various bishops of highest rank and dignity
patriarchal
adjective
ˌpā-trē-ˈär-kəl
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