What does matriarchal mean?
Matriarchal is an adjective describing something organized around the authority of women, especially a family, community, institution, or broader society. It is closely associated with the idea of a matriarchy, a form of organization in which women hold the principal positions of power and decision-making. In analytical use, the term may characterize a family structure, a political system, or a culture, but it does not imply that every woman has equal authority or that female leadership is automatically superior to male leadership. The word should also be distinguished from matrilineal: a matriarchal arrangement concerns power and organization, whereas a matrilineal one concerns tracing descent or inheritance through the female line. Matriarchal is useful because it provides a precise label for structures in which women are the central holders of authority. Its components—Latin māter, meaning “mother,” and Greek arkhē, meaning “rule”—also make its meaning memorable, while its relatively recent English formation reflects the nineteenth-century interest in classifying family and social organization.
adjectiveOf or relating to a matriarchy; having women as the principal holders of authority or leadership in a family, community, institution, or society.
- Relating to or characterized by women holding the principal authority or leadership role in a family, community, institution, or society.
"The study examined how authority was distributed within the matriarchal household."
"The novel portrays a matriarchal community in which the senior women control its political life."
"Historians have debated whether the early kingdom had genuinely matriarchal institutions."
Matriarchal flips more than a family tree: it is about power, while matrilineal is about descent.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does matriarchal come from?
Matriarchal was formed in English in the late nineteenth century from matriarch plus the adjective-forming suffix -al. Matriarch was coined in the late sixteenth century from Latin māter, meaning “mother,” and a combining element meaning “ruler,” in parallel with patriarch. The maternal root also underlies related formations such as matriarchy, matrilineal, and matrilocal.
Related word forms
How matriarchal is actually used
Formal and analytical rather than everyday, especially in anthropology, sociology, history, and discussions of family or political organization. Depending on context, it may also carry political or ideological connotations.
Easily confused with matriarchal
Matriarchal describes authority centered on women, whereas patriarchal describes authority centered on men.
Matriarchal concerns women’s power and leadership, while matrilineal concerns tracing descent or inheritance through the female line.