patriarchy

noun

pa·​tri·​ar·​chy ˈpā-trē-ˌär-kē 

plural patriarchies

1

: social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family, the legal dependence of wives and children, and the reckoning of descent and inheritance in the male line

broadly : control by men of a disproportionately large share of power

2

: a society or institution organized according to the principles or practices of patriarchy

For 20 years the country was ruled as a patriarchy.

Examples of patriarchy in a Sentence

For 20 years, the country was ruled as a patriarchy.

a region in which patriarchy is practiced

Recent Examples on the Web

The term unprofessional is a product of the patriarchy. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024

Iran was, of course, never going to submit the dissident filmmaker’s scorching indictment of Iranian patriarchy to the Oscars. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024

Antiquated notions of manhood and patriarchy might suggest that professionalism is secondary to expression and authenticity. —Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2024

While the movement itself didn’t gain public appeal until 2019 after mass demonstrations against sexism exploded across South Korea, Korean feminists were in conversation about how to address rampant sexism and patriarchy throughout the late 2010s. —Quispe López, Them, 19 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

patriarchy

noun

pa·​tri·​ar·​chy ˈpā-trē-ˌär-kē 

plural patriarchies

1

: social organization in which the father is head of the family and ancestry and inheritance are traced in the male line

2

: a society organized according to the principles of patriarchy