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
Tim, the family patriarch, went to Duke as did Saxon, the older Ratliff brother played by Patrick Schwarzenegger.
—
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
Glen Wood, the legendary team’s patriarch who died six years ago, made his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2025
The patriarch, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant), is dying of a terminal illness, and is seeking to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2025
Timothy Ratliff Timothy is the patriarch of the wealthy Ratliff gang who finds himself in legal trouble while on vacation.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
Glen Wood, the legendary team’s patriarch who died six years ago, made his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2025
The patriarch, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant), is dying of a terminal illness, and is seeking to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2025
Timothy Ratliff Timothy is the patriarch of the wealthy Ratliff gang who finds himself in legal trouble while on vacation.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
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Robyn, 11, and Chuck, 8, had just been picked up early from Camp Timber Lake by their uncle Jim Peel and grandfather Bryan McArthur.—
Tony Holt,
Arkansas Online,
7 Apr. 2025
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Founded by her grandfather 75 years ago, Klem's sells a wide range of products including hardware, pet food and clothes.—
Alina Selyukh,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Among others, this season's cast included Hook's Piper and her family: dad Timothy (Jason Isaacs), mom Victoria (Parker Posey), and brothers Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), and Lochlan (Sam Nivola).—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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My dad even has a bad knee, so the commitment was 100% there.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The podcast itself is very emotional in terms of coming to terms with who her father is, and also sitting down with the family members of her father’s victims.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2025
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Still, Hemme took solace in being present for her father’s final days.—
Katie Moore,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 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 16 Apr. 2025.
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