matriarch

noun

ma·​tri·​arch ˈmā-trē-ˌärk 

: a woman who rules or dominates a family, group, or state

specifically : a mother who is head and ruler of her family and descendants

Our grandmother was the family's matriarch.

Did you know?

A matriarchy is a social unit governed by a woman or group of women. It isn't certain that a true matriarchal society has ever existed, so matriarchy is usually treated as an imaginative concept. But there are societies in which relatedness through women rather than men is stressed, and elements of matriarchy may be stronger in certain societies than they are in most of the Western world. And most of us can point to families in which a woman has become the dominant figure, or grande dame, or matriarch.

Synonyms

• dame
• dowager
• grande dame
• matron

Examples of matriarch in a Sentence

Our grandmother was the family's matriarch.

The tribe's matriarch ruled for 20 years before her death.

Recent Examples on the Web

Then, after Adams nails this rant of maternal sound and fury, signifying that the kids may be all right but the matriarchs of the world are anything but, Heller rewinds and resets the moment. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024

Early on, an insomnia plague sinks residents into a haze of short-term memory loss; later, a single trickle of blood turns corners, crosses streets and climbs curbs to alert the family matriarch, Úrsula, of a shocking death. —Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 2 Dec. 2024

The Kelce family matriarch, who makes her acting debut in new Hallmark Channel movies Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story and Christmas on Call, also revealed that her granddaughters had a blast watching the latter film, which released on Nov. 22. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024

After all, no one would dare disappoint our beloved matriarch, especially on her big day. —Chicago Tribune, 28 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

matriarch

noun

ma·​tri·​arch ˈmā-trē-ˌärk 

: a woman who rules a family, group, or state

especially : a mother who is head of her family and descendants

matriarchal

ˌmā-trē-ˈär-kəl 

adjective