monarchy
noun
mon·ar·chy
ˈmä-nər-kē 
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
These nods to a long association with the British monarchy started in 1903 when Penhaligon’s was awarded its first Royal Warrant by the Queen Consort to King Edward VII, Queen Alexandra.
—
Gemma A. Williams, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
At the time, Newsweek was told this was connected to the king's desire to slim down the monarchy and that Harry and Meghan had wanted their children to get what Eugenie and Beatrice were given.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
Yeah, there seems to be affection for the original line of royalty who were all about sharing resources, even though communism, or even socialism, is at odds with monarchy.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
Despite the turbulent past of the Reformation and King Henry VIII’s break with Rome almost 500 years ago, relations between the Vatican and the British monarchy are today marked by warmth and mutual respect.
—Max Foster, Christopher Lamb and Billy Stockwell, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for monarchy
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Gemma A. Williams, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
At the time, Newsweek was told this was connected to the king's desire to slim down the monarchy and that Harry and Meghan had wanted their children to get what Eugenie and Beatrice were given.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
Yeah, there seems to be affection for the original line of royalty who were all about sharing resources, even though communism, or even socialism, is at odds with monarchy.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
Despite the turbulent past of the Reformation and King Henry VIII’s break with Rome almost 500 years ago, relations between the Vatican and the British monarchy are today marked by warmth and mutual respect.
—Max Foster, Christopher Lamb and Billy Stockwell, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for monarchy
Cite this Entry
“Monarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarchy. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
monarchy
noun
mon·ar·chy
ˈmän-ər-kē
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
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