monarch

noun

mon·​arch ˈmä-nərk How to pronounce monarch (audio)
-ˌnärk
1
: a person who reigns over a kingdom or empire: such as
a
: a sovereign ruler
b
: a constitutional (see constitutional entry 1 sense 3) king or queen
2
: one that holds preeminent position or power
cotton, monarch of the textile worldWall Street Journal
3
monarchal adjective
or monarchial

Examples of monarch in a Sentence

a new history of French monarchs the ruling monarch of Britain at that time was Queen Elizabeth I
Recent Examples on the Web Patrick Lamb, who rose from Child of the Pastry in the early 1660s to be master cook to the monarch in 1683, was responsible for the coronation feasts of King James II, King William, Queen Mary and Queen Anne. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Monarch caterpillars are partial to milkweed While the Very Hungry Caterpillar may have eaten everything in sight, monarch caterpillars are a bit picky. Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 The monarch has canceled all his public engagements, though he has been photographed walking to church and meeting privately with government officials and dignitaries. Jill Lawless, Twin Cities, 11 Mar. 2024 On Tuesday, the British army added to the mass confusion when its official website said that Catherine would attend the Trooping the Colour military parade in June — an annual event that marks the monarch’s official birthday — before removing her name hours later. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Since then, Kincaid said the freeze-thaw cycle of the Ohio River Valley hasn't been kind to the monarch's likeness. Roberto Roldan, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 Queen Camilla is leading the family for the gathering in honor of the last Greek monarch at St. George’s Chapel. Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024 Charles, 74, waved and smiled at well-wishers who had gathered nearby to capture a glimpse of the monarch as news cameras flashed. Megan Specia, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024 The procedure, which took place Saturday at Hospital Sultanah Maliha on the island of Langkawi, was undertaken due to the 87-year-old monarch’s low heart rate, the royal household said in a statement. Amy Woodyatt, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin monarcha, from Greek monarchos, from mon- + -archos -arch

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near monarch

Cite this Entry

“Monarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarch. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

monarch

noun
mon·​arch ˈmän-ərk How to pronounce monarch (audio)
-ˌärk
1
: a person who reigns over a kingdom or empire: as
a
: a ruler who has total power
absolute monarch
b
: someone who acts primarily as chief of state and who has only limited powers
constitutional monarch
2
: someone or something like a monarch
the oak is the monarch of the forest
3
monarchal adjective
or monarchial

More from Merriam-Webster on monarch

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