Ruritania

[ roor-i-tey-nee-uh, roor-i-tey- ]

noun

a mythical, romantic kingdom conceived as the setting for a fairy tale, costume drama, comic operetta, or the like.
Facetious. any small, little-known country or region considered remote, backward, or exotic.

Origin of Ruritania

After the fictional Central European kingdom in the novel The Prisoner of Zenda (1894) by A. Hope

Other words from Ruritania

Ru·ri·ta·ni·an, adjective, noun

Words Nearby Ruritania

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Ruritania in a sentence

It was, considering everything, a rotten thing for Ruritania to do.
Punch, or The London Charivari, Vol. 150, May 31, 1916 | Various
With the King on one side and the duke on the other, Zenda felt itself the centre of all Ruritania.
The Prisoner of Zenda | Anthony Hope
What are the feelings of the captain of a Ruritania when he goes to the yards to take over a War Whistler?
Merchantmen-at-Arms | David W. Bone
Michael was dead, the Princess her cousin's wife, the story in safe keeping, and Mr. Rassendyll's face seen no more in Ruritania.
Rupert of Hentzau | Anthony Hope
Sapt was not guilty of it, but his disappointment was bitter that all our efforts had secured no better ruler for Ruritania.
Rupert of Hentzau | Anthony Hope

British Dictionary definitions for Ruritania

Ruritania

/ (ˌrʊərɪˈteɪnɪə, -njə) /

noun

an imaginary kingdom of central Europe: setting of several novels by English novelist Anthony Hope (1863–1933), esp The Prisoner of Zenda (1894)
any setting of adventure, romance, and intrigue

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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