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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Recent Examples of patriarch
The pack’s patriarch died in captivity of wounds incurred while in the wild.
—
Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 8 July 2025
Generational planning, for one—Calvin Crandall, the ranching family’s patriarch, placed the land in a perpetual trust a few years ago, ensuring the land would stay together (and, by extension, a viable business) across future generations.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 1 July 2025
However, in the case of the Vajra Winery, the interplay of different ideas and techniques between the patriarch and his clan has turned out to be one of its greatest assets.
—Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
After the sudden death of the farm’s patriarch, Arnaud Lasserre, Alba becomes the main suspect.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 8 July 2025
Generational planning, for one—Calvin Crandall, the ranching family’s patriarch, placed the land in a perpetual trust a few years ago, ensuring the land would stay together (and, by extension, a viable business) across future generations.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 1 July 2025
However, in the case of the Vajra Winery, the interplay of different ideas and techniques between the patriarch and his clan has turned out to be one of its greatest assets.
—Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
After the sudden death of the farm’s patriarch, Arnaud Lasserre, Alba becomes the main suspect.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for patriarch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriarch
Noun
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Back in November 2023, Johnson proudly showed off that his granddaughter had dressed up just like her NBA player grandfather.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
24 July 2025
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Just across the river from Wilmington, on the other side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the Scott’s Auto repair shop founded by his grandfather has been a mainstay in Carneys Point, N.J., since 1978.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
Noun
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Frank was a working dad who was struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts at the time.—
Yola Robert,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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In June 2022, Farmer spoke about parenting on an episode of First Class Fatherhood, a podcast focused on dads and fatherhood.—
Kait Hanson,
People.com,
24 July 2025
Noun
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Over the two decades that Al-Waleed was in a coma, his father opted to keep him on life support and often shared social media footage of himself and other family members praying for his son's recovery.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
20 July 2025
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The Navy veteran and married father of three had only just become a parole agent nine months ago, after a decade working as a corrections officer at a state hospital in Vacaville.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
20 July 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 30 Jul. 2025.
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