Synonyms of patriarch

5 similar words · 2 opposite words

Another word for patriarch is paterfamilias. Other synonyms of patriarch are ancestor, forebear, forefather and highfather. The opposite of patriarch is materfamilias.

Synonyms and similar words for patriarch

highfatherA respected, high-ranking male elder or leader; a patriarch; a forefather; a grandfather.
paterfamiliasA man who is the head of a household, family or tribe.

noun The highest form of bishop, in the ancient world having authority over other bishops in the province but now generally as an honorary title; in Roman Catholicism, considered a bishop second only to the Pope in rank.
noun A male leader of a family, tribe or ethnic group, especially one of the twelve sons of Jacob (considered to have created the twelve tribes of Israel) or (in plural) Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
noun A founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.

What is another word for patriarch?: Patriarch has 5 synonyms on Word.ws, such as paterfamilias, ancestor, forebear, forefather and highfather.
What is the opposite of patriarch?: The opposite of patriarch is materfamilias.
What does patriarch mean?: Patriarch means the highest form of bishop, in the ancient world having authority over other bishops in the province but now generally as an honorary title; in Roman Catholicism, considered a bishop second only to the Pope in rank.

Adapted from Wiktionary: patriarch (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “Synonyms of patriarch.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/patriarch. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.