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patriarchal

[pay-tree-ahr-kuhl] / ˌpeɪ triˈɑr kəl /




ADJECTIVE
paternalistic
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The actress stars in a finger-wagging fairy tale as a woman in a patriarchal world who gets a dream husband played by Alexander Skarsgård—and assembled by the local basket weaver.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

The Miller-Moreno saga is a textbook example of how this promise of patriarchal protection is a myth.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

A hotbed of feminist rebellion, its corset-shattering, myth-busting history encompasses a journey of emancipation, imagination, and healthy disdain for patriarchal expectations.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

An agitated Jean finds herself praying to none other than Monica Lewinsky, the patron saint of bad romantic choices, or as Langbein puts it, “of those who suffer venal public shaming and patriarchal cruelty.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

Next to the house there was a patriarchal elm tree, against the trunk of which Finny leaned and shouted at me as I ran a large circle around him.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles


Vocabulary lists containing patriarchal

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