matriarchal

adjective

ma·​tri·​ar·​chal ˌmā-trē-ˈär-kəl How to pronounce matriarchal (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a matriarch or matriarchy
a matriarchal society
Johnnie Angelia King … plays a very different matriarchal figure here, imbuing hard-working Faye with passion …Larry T. Collins
As a Filipino-American, Lirio Marcelo was steeped in a matriarchal culture where there was no shortage of female role models in corporate and government realms.Lydia Dishman

Examples of matriarchal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Barbary macaque troops are also matriarchal, with dominance determined by relatedness to the top-ranking female. Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025 The book follows Tom’s moral development, guided by three matriarchal fairies—with political and scientific asides—and the whole can be read as an allegory for the moral principles inhering in evolutionary processes. Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 29 Jan. 2025 Herds are matriarchal, and all the females chip in to raise the calves communally. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025 Min is being pressured by his sternly matriarchal grandmother (Minari Oscar winner Youn Yuh-Jung) to return to Korea and take on the position of creative director for a major fashion division the company has just acquired. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for matriarchal 

Word History

First Known Use

1780, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of matriarchal was in 1780

Dictionary Entries Near matriarchal

Cite this Entry

“Matriarchal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/matriarchal. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

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