matronly

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 matronly Pinkham’s matronly smile, printed on labels and advertisements, became as well known as Mona Lisa’s. Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2025 Every few days, a matronly Spanish woman appeared at the fountain to give me a plastic bag with bananas and bread, and sometimes little packets of butter and jam. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024 Transforming the elegant British, non-Jewish actress into the matronly prime minister required prosthetics for the cheeks, chin, nose and neck, plus contact lenses and a wig. Valli Herman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2024 Mary’s childhood has all of the workhouse tragedy of a Dickens novel, plus insufficient scenes of Susan Lynch as a stern, matronly figure from her youth. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for matronly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for matronly
Adjective
  • The British designer made a stealthy comeback in 2023 with a namesake label hinged on her brand of modern minimalism, womanly allure and uncompromising quality.
    WWD Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • McQuarrie’s feats lack the comic timing, composition, and emotionalism that cartoonist-director Brad Bird brought to the thrilling Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Ethan/Tom spider-walking the Burj Khalifa skyscraper and outrunning a dust storm, Paula Patton’s womanly catfight with Léa Seydoux).
    Armond White, National Review, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • Seeing Laura’s discomfort with her, Cherry employs her feminine wiles to cause a fracture in Laura and Daniel’s connection.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Kate Middleton, Reese Witherspoon, and Joanna Gaines each have pretty distinct style — yet, this one feminine fashion detail spans all of their wardrobes.
    Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Over 55 here is a great 56% with an overall heavy female skew of 72%, on par with other Downton movies.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025
  • At some point, possibly as early as several million years ago, Iberian harvester ant queens lost the ability to produce their own worker ants, which are female.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Bees are matriarchal, with a queen bee in charge of the hive.
    Elizabeth Bass Parman, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Nor does the film offer up much in the way of thematic substance beyond love (between women) is grand, men are mostly bad, and matriarchal societies are better than patriarchies.
    Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Matronly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matronly. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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