princess
Americannoun
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princesses
plural
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a nonreigning female member of a royal family.
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History/Historical. a female sovereign or monarch; queen.
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the consort of a prince.
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(in Great Britain) a daughter or granddaughter (if the child of a son) of a king or queen.
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a woman considered to have the qualities or characteristics of a princess.
adjective
noun
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(in Britain) a daughter of the sovereign or of one of the sovereign's sons
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a nonreigning female member of a sovereign family
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the wife and consort of a prince
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any very attractive or outstanding woman
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Also called: princess dress, princess line. a style of dress with a fitted bodice and an A-line skirt that is shaped by seams from shoulder to hem without a seam at the waistline
Gender
See -ess.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of princess
1350–1400; Middle English princesse < Middle French. See prince, -ess
Explanation
A princess is the daughter of a king or queen, or the wife of a prince. Some children like to have princess parties because they get to wear fancy dresses, tiaras, and little plastic high heels. In countries that are monarchies, rulers are born into their positions and are typically called kings and queens. If they have a daughter, she’s a princess. Women who marry into these families can also become princesses. The popular image of a princess might be Cinderella dressed for the ball, but modern princesses look a lot more like ordinary people. Princess is the feminine form of prince, from the Latin princeps, "chief leader."
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.
See Examples For:
The future princess of Wales and her siblings called their stepmother “Acid Raine” and were antagonists for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
The princess and her mother were confined, in Victoria’s later description, to “dreadfully dull, dark and gloomy” rooms in the aging residence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
It opens up old questions about King Charles's character, his treatment of the young princess and his relationship with the now Queen Camilla.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The princess, who announced she was receiving cancer treatment in March 2024, spoke to patients and staff about the importance of support which goes beyond the physical.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“You don’t mess with a princess from Punk, little man,” she said.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Despite experiencing significant physical trauma, the princesses appear to have received medical treatment that allowed them to recover.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
Each trade has its kings and queens, its princes and princesses.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
Operating since 2002, Funky Divas & Dudes, like most of these party businesses, offers princesses, superheroes and other pop culture-inspired characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
Moore said he later realised that more inspiration might also have come from years of reading stories about "kings and queens and princesses" to his daughter Mary.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026
And today, as I stand over the remains of these beautiful, darling girls, I paraphrase the words of Shakespeare: Good night, sweet princesses.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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