as in dowager
a dignified usually elderly woman of some rank or authority
even though she was 87, the matriarch of the family knew everything that was going on
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Recent Examples of matriarch
Late actress Jessica Walter iconically played the boozy family matriarch Lucille.
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Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2025
Mirren — who also stars in Paramount+’s Yellowstone prequel 1923 — plays family matriarch Maeve Harrigan, Conrad’s wife.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2025
Brosnan, in turn, will play Conrad Harrigan, the head of said crime family based out of London for whom Harry works, while Mirren will fill the role of Maeve Harrigan, Conrad’s wife and the Harrigan family matriarch.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 26 Feb. 2025
The matriarch of the Dutton family, who writes letters to Spencer like diary entries, is the majestic Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton with a gruff Harrison Ford impeccably playing her loving husband, Jacob Dutton.
—Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for matriarch
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2025
Mirren — who also stars in Paramount+’s Yellowstone prequel 1923 — plays family matriarch Maeve Harrigan, Conrad’s wife.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2025
Brosnan, in turn, will play Conrad Harrigan, the head of said crime family based out of London for whom Harry works, while Mirren will fill the role of Maeve Harrigan, Conrad’s wife and the Harrigan family matriarch.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 26 Feb. 2025
The matriarch of the Dutton family, who writes letters to Spencer like diary entries, is the majestic Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton with a gruff Harrison Ford impeccably playing her loving husband, Jacob Dutton.
—Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for matriarch
Cite this Entry
“Matriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matriarch. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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