monarch
Americannoun
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a hereditary sovereign, as a king, queen, or emperor.
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a sole and absolute ruler of a state or nation.
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a person or thing that holds a dominant position.
a monarch of international shipping.
noun
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a sovereign head of state, esp a king, queen, or emperor, who rules usually by hereditary right
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a supremely powerful or pre-eminent person or thing
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Also called: milkweed. a large migratory butterfly, Danaus plexippus, that has orange-and-black wings and feeds on the milkweed plant: family Danaidae
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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monarchismnoun
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monarchistnoun
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antimonarchadjective
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monarchaladjective
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monarchicaladjective
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monarchisticadjective
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monarchallyadverb
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monarchicallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing monarch
Play by the Rules: Arch
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"Black Panther" Lingo
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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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.
A little known sister painting of the iconic Monarch of the Glen has sold for £5.9m at auction in London.
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
In 2005 it appeared in Edinburgh alongside Monarch of the Glen as part of a major celebration of Landseer.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
Monarch of the Glen is his most famous work, and one of the most recognisable and reproduced paintings in British art.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
That same year, Monarch was on a Forbes list of startups most likely to reach a $1-billion valuation.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026
That means she hates either the idea of Balekin or the idea of any High Monarch.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
