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

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This counters the hypothesis that Çatalhöyük was a matriarchal society with a priestess class, as that should result in material evidence of quality-of-life differences. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Dec. 2024 She’s previously described her last album, Preacher’s Daughter, as the first of a trilogy, with the next two albums set to explore the psyches of the matriarchal line of the fictional Cain family. James Factora, Them, 1 Nov. 2024 The atmosphere, though heavy at times, was familial and infused with a distinct matriarchal energy that is invigorating and powerful. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 23 Oct. 2024 My mom was really strong, and so is her mom, and her mom, and her mom — a very matriarchal family, in general, on both sides, all my grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 26 Sep. 2024 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 Dec. 2024.

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