monarch

American  

[mon-erk, -ahrk] / ˈmɒn ərk, -ɑrk /

noun

• monarchs
  plural

1. a hereditary sovereign, as a king, queen, or emperor.

2. a sole and absolute ruler of a state or nation.

3. a person or thing that holds a dominant position.

   a monarch of international shipping.

4. monarch butterfly.

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monarch British  

/ ˈmɒnək /

noun

1. a sovereign head of state, esp a king, queen, or emperor, who rules usually by hereditary right

2. a supremely powerful or pre-eminent person or thing

3. Also called: milkweed. a large migratory butterfly, Danaus plexippus, that has orange-and-black wings and feeds on the milkweed plant: family Danaidae

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• monarchism
  noun
• monarchist
  noun
• antimonarch
  adjective
• monarchal
  adjective
• monarchical
  adjective
• monarchistic
  adjective
• monarchally
  adverb
• monarchically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monarchs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of monarch

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French monarche, monarch, from Late Latin monarcha, from Greek mónarchos “sole ruler, monarch”; see mon-, -arch

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Explanation

If you think the Queen of England is just the coolest thing ever, then you like monarchs: hereditary rulers of countries usually known as king or queen. You might think your principal rules with absolute power, but that's not really true: there's a school board and an administration and she can't really control everything. But a monarch can. Monarch comes from the Greek mono, "one," and archon, "ruler." Many modern monarchies actually have parliaments and constitutions, leaving the monarch more symbolic than powerful. A monarch is also a particularly royal looking butterfly with orange wings and black and white spots.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monarch monarchs

In the Bahamas on Tuesday, the monarch acknowledged "the great suffering of the past" during the first leg of his visit.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

An especially insidious form of corruption, one especially to be feared from a monarch or president, is the sale of the nation’s interests to a foreign power.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026

The monarch and the president have "a very warm relationship," a royal spokesperson said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Yet executive power remains in the hands of the 63-year-old monarch.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

But one look at the animal cleared up any doubts Ben might have had about the acknowledged monarch of the pack.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

But, to the distress of his advisers, he is the most reluctant of monarchs, unwilling to wage war, issue decrees or even, many days, get out of bed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Self said she had set out to put an ordinary contemporary Londoner on a site more usually associated with statues of monarchs and military commanders.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

Martin and Lewis became the monarchs of all media, conquering radio, nightclubs, television and the silver screen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

Almost all the sitting heads of state who appear on the circulating coins that I analyzed are hereditary monarchs.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Bach’s interest in counterpoint, though, was not about putting haughty monarchs in their place, nor about solving puzzles and codes for the sake of it.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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Related Words

• emperor
• king
• queen
• sovereign

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