as in grandfather
a man who is the head of a family
Investors worried that the aging patriarch was soon to be replaced atop the family business by his less reliable oldest son.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of patriarch
That’s evidenced by the 2014 scandal in which Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the family, was suspended from the series after making homophobic comments in a GQ story.
—
Daniel D'addario, Variety, 1 June 2025
The Moscow patriarch’s relationship with Pope Leo XIV is still in early development, just weeks after the latter’s election.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 23 May 2025
But their fishing empire has started to crumble as patriarch Harlan Buckley (McCallany) recovers from two heart attacks, and his wife Belle (Bello) and son Cane (Weary) venture into the deep end to keep the family businesses afloat.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 22 May 2025
Hudson plays the patriarch of the blended Silver family, Reverend Peters.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Daniel D'addario, Variety, 1 June 2025
The Moscow patriarch’s relationship with Pope Leo XIV is still in early development, just weeks after the latter’s election.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 23 May 2025
But their fishing empire has started to crumble as patriarch Harlan Buckley (McCallany) recovers from two heart attacks, and his wife Belle (Bello) and son Cane (Weary) venture into the deep end to keep the family businesses afloat.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 22 May 2025
Hudson plays the patriarch of the blended Silver family, Reverend Peters.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
-
Her grandfather believed that was untenable, Monica Church said, and instead sought compromise with mining groups, ranchers and others.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
6 June 2025
-
In From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, Ana de Armas’ Eve is seeking revenge after the death of her father, Javier (David Castañeda), who was killed in an assassination attempt by his father-in-law and her grandfather, The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) a dozen years before.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
First of all, my dad was a big baseball fan and grew up watching the Yankees.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
6 June 2025
-
Austin shot his dad to protect Georgia and witnessed his mom suffocate Tom.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Dobbins cited his father, Lance, being a diehard Red Sox fan when explaining his disdain for the pinstripes.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
15 June 2025
-
My father, the eldest boy of their four children, left school at eight or nine to help earn money in his father’s absence.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
14 June 2025
Noun
-
There’s also a concern about acting as if your son were a source of shame, a secret to be hidden from the paterfamilias.—
Kwame Anthony Appiah,
New York Times,
9 Aug. 2022
-
In a sense this is a classic family drama: the struggle over the paterfamilias’s legacy, complete with allegations of late-in-life changes to the will.—
Benjamin Soskis,
Town & Country,
27 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share