monarchy
Americannoun
plural
monarchies-
a state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch.
-
supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person.
noun
-
a form of government in which supreme authority is vested in a single and usually hereditary figure, such as a king, and whose powers can vary from those of an absolute despot to those of a figurehead
-
a country reigned over by a king, prince, or other monarch
Usage
What is a monarchy? A monarchy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held by one person, either officially or ceremonially.In a monarchy, one person rules the government, and no human is above them in power. The ruler of a monarchy is called a monarch, and their position is nearly always hereditary, meaning that a member of their family will inherit their position when they die or willingly give up their power (known as abdicitation).Throughout history, monarchies have been a relatively common form of government. The ancient Egyptian pharaohs, the Roman and Chinese emperors, and the large number of European kings and queens ruled over monarchies.There are two major types of monarchies:
- In an absolute monarchy, the supreme ruler has total, unlimited power. Nobody can tell them what to do, and they can order their people to do anything they want. This form of monarchy was more common in the past than it is today. Some examples of modern countries with this form of monarchy are Swaziland and Saudi Arabia.
- In a limited monarchy or constitutional monarchy, the supreme ruler has limits on what they are actually able to do. Usually, their power is determined by a written constitution or a governing body that can restrain the actions they want to do. Of the monarchies that still exist today, most of them are limited monarchies, including those found in the United Kingdom and Norway.
Related Words
See kingdom.
Other Word Forms
- antimonarchy adjective
- promonarchy adjective
Etymology
Origin of monarchy
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English monarchie, from Late Latin monarchia, from Greek monarchía. See monarch, -y 3
Compare meaning
How does monarchy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Meanwhile, he added, Iranian attacks on Gulf states have removed any embarrassment that these monarchies had in cooperating with the U.S. military campaign.
Arino said Tehran's attacks and the impact on air travel dealt a blow to the "soft power" of the Gulf monarchies.
From Barron's
Historically, Iran’s 1979 revolution transformed it from a U.S.-aligned monarchy to an adversarial theocratic state — a legacy that shapes today’s fears about protracted conflict and regional destabilization.
From Salon
The Gulf monarchies have worked hard to stay on the periphery of Middle East conflict, relying on their stability to attract business, trade and tourism.
From Barron's
Students on several campuses have embraced symbols of the monarchy, such as the country’s former flag, which has a “Lion and Sun” emblem on it associated with the dynasty.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
