patriarchal

adjective

pa·​tri·​ar·​chal ˌpā-trē-ˈär-kəl How to pronounce patriarchal (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a patriarch or patriarchy
a patriarchal culture
a patriarchal religion

Examples of patriarchal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The film follows a 40-year-old widowed nurse named Mahnaz, who is struggling with a rebellious son and other complications in a heavily oppressive patriarchal context. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 22 May 2025 Either would become the first female leader of the intensely patriarchal government. Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025 Because formalism disrupts patriarchal assumptions about the nature of aesthetic experience (namely, that the author possesses omniscient knowledge transferable to the reader), Woolf deploys it to depict the impressions and sensations that characterize the female experience. Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2025 This fact in itself is evidence of how patriarchal beauty standards are—weight loss is always targeting women, and fatphobia disproportionately affects women irregardless of our weight. Chloe Laws, Glamour, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for patriarchal

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of patriarchal was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Patriarchal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patriarchal. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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