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
For the family's 2022 costume, Beyoncé pulled double-duty, posing as both family matriarch Sugar Mama and Trudy, wife to Oscar Proud, who was portrayed by husband JAY-Z.
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Hedy Phillips, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Meanwhile, the steely matriarch, Olivia (Debbi Morgan), is hiding a few secrets of her own.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Instead, the matriarch cruelly strikes a deal to marry off her stiff eldest daughter, Rosaura (Ana Valeria Becerril), to Pedro.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024
Strahovski plays Maggie, a veterinarian and the Chenoweth family matriarch, who’s just discovered her husband, James (Scott Speedman), had an affair.
—Sophie Hanson, StyleCaster, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for matriarch 
Hedy Phillips, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Meanwhile, the steely matriarch, Olivia (Debbi Morgan), is hiding a few secrets of her own.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Instead, the matriarch cruelly strikes a deal to marry off her stiff eldest daughter, Rosaura (Ana Valeria Becerril), to Pedro.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024
Strahovski plays Maggie, a veterinarian and the Chenoweth family matriarch, who’s just discovered her husband, James (Scott Speedman), had an affair.
—Sophie Hanson, StyleCaster, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for matriarch
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Cite this Entry
“Matriarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/matriarch. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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