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
Kenneth McMillan effectively plays the grotesque patriarch Baron Vladimir for laughs, creating a jarring contrast with the character's casual cruelty.
—
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 30 Dec. 2024
The oldest was the 64-year-old family patriarch, Jamal, and the youngest was his 2-year-old granddaughter, Sham.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
What To Know Nordstrom was founded as shoe store Wallin & Nordstrom in 1901 by family patriarch John W. Nordstrom, a Swedish immigrant who started the company with money acquired by prospecting during the Klondike Gold Rush, and cofounder Carl Wallin, a Seattle shoemaker.
—Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
The patriarch played multiple instruments and even formed a small family quartet with his wife and two of their children.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for patriarch 
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 30 Dec. 2024
The oldest was the 64-year-old family patriarch, Jamal, and the youngest was his 2-year-old granddaughter, Sham.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
What To Know Nordstrom was founded as shoe store Wallin & Nordstrom in 1901 by family patriarch John W. Nordstrom, a Swedish immigrant who started the company with money acquired by prospecting during the Klondike Gold Rush, and cofounder Carl Wallin, a Seattle shoemaker.
—Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
The patriarch played multiple instruments and even formed a small family quartet with his wife and two of their children.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
-
Patrick Mahomes’ grandfather has entered hospice, the Chiefs MVP quarterback’s mother revealed Friday morning.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Read More: What to Know About Trump’s Order on Birthright Citizenship and the Legal Battle Around It Seventy years ago, my grandfather, Arturo Martinez, left the small town of Buga, Colombia, to pursue a science degree in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.—
Paola Mendoza,
TIME,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The family celebration continued as Brittany brought their older children, three-year-old Sterling and two-year-old Bronze, to cheer on their dad at the Chiefs’ first playoff game.—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
25 Jan. 2025
-
Police are searching for a 6-year-old boy who was kidnapped by his dad in Rocklin, Northern California law enforcement officials said late Friday.—
Michael McGough,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The trouble began when the OP reserved a shaded table for her elderly father, who had recently undergone surgery.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Buckley’s father, musician Tim Buckley, died of a heroin overdose when Jeff was 8, and Jeff was raised by his mother, Mary Guibert, who has been the keeper of his archive since his death.—
Rebecca Keegan,
The Hollywood Reporter,
21 Jan. 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
Thesaurus Entries Near patriarch
Cite this Entry
“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share