palatial
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of palatial
Explanation
Knowing that the adjective palatial is derived from the same Latin word as palace gives you a good sense of its meaning: magnificent, reminiscent of a home fit for a king. The Palatine (Collis Palatium in Latin) is the center of Rome’s famed Seven Hills. Tradition holds that it was the location on which Romulus founded the city, and it became a prestigious site for powerful Romans—including emperors—to build large, lavish homes. Palatium made its way into every Romance language and beyond: it became palazzo in Italian, palacio in Spanish, and palast in German. Palace entered English via the Old French palais. Power, affluence, extravagance: these are the qualities that should come to mind when you encounter the word palatial.
Vocabulary lists containing palatial
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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The Glass Castle
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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.
Ellison snapped up the palatial pad back in 2021 for $80 million with the intention of tearing it down.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
A few days later, Spanish authorities raided Alamín Castle, a palatial estate that Betancourt owned in the province of Toledo.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
At a palatial ranch outside Medellín, the agents posed for photographs on a red carpet with the Andes mountains in the distance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Four hotels in France, including the Byblos in Saint-Tropez, have lost their palatial status since the last list was published in 2019.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
The place was palatial, with a large central structure topped with a golden dome, and walls of the native honey stone.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
