monarchy

noun

mon·​ar·​chy ˈmä-nər-kē How to pronounce monarchy (audio)
 also  -ˌnär-
plural monarchies
1
: undivided rule or absolute sovereignty by a single person
Saudi Arabia is governed by a monarchy.
2
: a nation or state having a monarchical government
Britain is a monarchy.
3
: a government having a hereditary chief of state with life tenure and powers varying from nominal to absolute
The country's hereditary monarchy survived for centuries.

Examples of monarchy in a Sentence

the French monarchy of the 18th century
Recent Examples on the Web When the revolution toppled the monarchy in 1979, the new clerical rulers declared an Islamic theocracy and for years discouraged and even cracked down on Persian celebrations that predated Islam, including Chaharshanbeh Suri. Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Most important, as Hall notes, people have recently lost trust both in the Royal Family as an institution and in the organizations that cover the monarchy. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 The animosity between the once-close brothers grew after Harry and Meghan acrimoniously stepped away from royal duties in 2020, moved to California and gave a series of interviews criticizing the monarchy. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024 When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the monarchy in 2020, Queen Elizabeth asked them to no longer use the brand name Sussex Royal (which was then their Instagram handle and the name of their website). Elise Taylor, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2024 In January a Thai appeal court on Thursday extended a man’s prison sentence to a record 50 years for insulting the monarchy, in what is believed to be the toughest penalty ever imposed under the lese majeste law, according to a legal rights group. Helen Regan, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024 One reason the Houthis have been so poorly understood is that their movement arose in the shadow of the Saudi monarchy. Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024 This is the challenge of an age-old monarchy operating in a transformed landscape, where people expect information immediately. Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 The Greek monarchy was abolished in 1973, after which the last King lived in exile in Britain. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monarchy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of monarchy was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near monarchy

Cite this Entry

“Monarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarchy. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

monarchy

noun
mon·​ar·​chy ˈmän-ər-kē How to pronounce monarchy (audio)
plural monarchies
1
: total rule by one person
2
: a nation or country ruled by a monarch
3
: a form of government having a chief of state who inherits the position, rules for life, and holds powers varying from very limited to total
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!