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patriarchy

[pey-tree-ahr-kee] / ˈpeɪ triˌɑr ki /
NOUN
society led by men
Synonyms
STRONGEST
patriarchism patriarchship
STRONG
patriarchate


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.

Traditional patriarchy isn’t some cheat code to make marriage happy.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

Markus Schleinzer's "Rose" premiered at the Berlin film festival Sunday, with Sandra Hueller playing a woman in 17th-century Germany trying to escape the strictures of patriarchy by passing herself off as a man.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026

In Malayalam cinema, Feminichi Fathima - with "Feminichi" a social-media distortion of "feminist" - used humour to follow a Muslim housewife's quiet rebellion against patriarchy.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

Swift’s engagement to the football star was long anticipated by her die-hard fans, who for years studied her lyrics about heartbreak and the patriarchy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 27, 2025

Maybe having a mom who also wants to dismantle the patriarchy and a dad who wears frilly aprons will do that.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon



Vocabulary lists containing patriarchy


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