as in grandfather
a man who is the head of a family
Investors worried that the aging patriarch was soon to be replaced atop the family business by his less reliable oldest son.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of patriarch
Their patriarch, Peter Lowenstein, died five years ago.
—
Faith Karimi, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, the Duterte patriarch and President Marcos have traded drug use allegations.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 11 Mar. 2025
Christopher Plummer as Captain von Trapp Plummer played the von Trapp’s rigid patriarch.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
And this isn’t to say Hackman didn’t turn in one of the best performances of his career as neglectful patriarch Royal.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Faith Karimi, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, the Duterte patriarch and President Marcos have traded drug use allegations.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 11 Mar. 2025
Christopher Plummer as Captain von Trapp Plummer played the von Trapp’s rigid patriarch.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
And this isn’t to say Hackman didn’t turn in one of the best performances of his career as neglectful patriarch Royal.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
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Eala’s grandfather, a tennis buff, introduced all his grandchildren to the sport at his local club.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
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The complainants said the abusive behavior began as soon as Farley, a 26-year veteran of the department whose father and grandfather were deputy chiefs, was appointed the top job.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Her dad is there to give her closure, and to find out more about her background.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2025
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Robert Hall Clothes, Inc. Myricks recalls that when her dad was getting ready to retire, the clothing retailer shut down.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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His father, Dave, served as a Virginia assistant in the 1980s.—
Ryan Morik,
Fox News,
22 Mar. 2025
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Iceland’s public broadcaster reported that the relationship was kept secret but that the father was present for the birth of his child and initially allowed contact, but nearly all access was cut off before his son turned 1.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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There’s also a concern about acting as if your son were a source of shame, a secret to be hidden from the paterfamilias.—
Kwame Anthony Appiah,
New York Times,
9 Aug. 2022
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In a sense this is a classic family drama: the struggle over the paterfamilias’s legacy, complete with allegations of late-in-life changes to the will.—
Benjamin Soskis,
Town & Country,
27 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Patriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriarch. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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