highness

American

[hahy-nis] / ˈhaɪ nɪs /

noun

the quality or state of being high; loftiness.
(initial capital letter) a title of honor given to members of a royal family (usually preceded by His, Her, Your, etc.).

Highness ¹ British

/ ˈhaɪnɪs /

noun

a title used to address or refer to a royal person

"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

highness ² British

/ ˈhaɪnɪs /

noun

the condition of being high or lofty

"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

Etymology

Origin of highness

before 900; Middle English heyenes, Old English hēanes. See high, -ness

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.

“That was in large part engineered by his highness MBS in Saudi Arabia” and other Saudi officials, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

"He took my hand and said, as if it was his last breath: 'Your highness, I ask you just one thing: keep the country united,'" Juan Carlos recalls.

From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025

“I am available anytime to see you and His royal highness M.B.Z.,”

From New York Times • May 22, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II accepted the couple's desire on Saturday, with Buckingham Palace releasing a statement that the duo will no longer be referred to as his or her "royal highness".

From Fox News • Jan. 21, 2020

‘All of those man-eating giants is enormous and very fierce! They is all at least two times my wideness and double my royal highness!’

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023