royal

American  

[roi-uhl] / ˈrɔɪ əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a king, queen, or other sovereign.

   royal power; a royal palace.

2. descended from or related to a king or line of kings.

   a royal prince.

3. noting or having the rank of a king or queen.

4. established or chartered by or existing under the patronage of a sovereign.

   a royal society.

5. (initial capital letter) serving or subject to a king, queen, or other sovereign.

6. proceeding from or performed by a sovereign.

   a royal warrant.

7. appropriate to or befitting a sovereign; magnificent; stately.

   royal splendor.

   Synonyms:

   majestic

   Antonyms:

   servile

8. (usually initial capital letter) in the service of the monarch or of the Commonwealth.

   Royal Marines; Royal Air Force.

9. fine; excellent.

   in royal spirits.

10. Informal. extreme or persistent; unmitigated.

    a royal nuisance; a royal pain.

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noun

• royals
  plural

1. Nautical. a sail set on a royal mast.

2. Informal. a royal person; member of the royalty.

3. Chiefly British. Usually royals. a member of England's royal family.

4. a size of printing paper, 20 × 25 inches (51 × 64 centimeters).

5. a size of writing paper, 19 × 24 inches (48 × 61 centimeters).

6. Numismatics. any of various former coins, as the real or ryal.

royal British  

/ ˈrɔɪəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or befitting a king, queen, or other monarch; regal

2. (prenominal; often capital) established, chartered by, under the patronage or in the service of royalty

   the Royal Society of St George

3. being a member of a royal family

4. above the usual or normal in standing, size, quality, etc

5. informal unusually good or impressive; first-rate

6. nautical just above the topgallant (in the phrase royal mast )

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noun

1. informal (sometimes capital) a member of a royal family

2. Also called: royal stag.  a stag with antlers having 12 or more branches

3. nautical a sail set next above the topgallant, on a royal mast

4. a size of printing paper, 20 by 25 inches

5. Also called: small royal.  a size of writing paper, 19 by 24 inches

6. any of various book sizes, esp 6 1/ 4 by 10 inches ( royal octavo ), 6 3/ 4 by 10 1/ 4 inches ( super royal octavo ), and (chiefly Brit) 10 by 12 1/ 2 inches ( royal quarto ) and 10 1/ 4 by 13 1/ 2 inches ( super royal quarto )

Synonym Usage

See kingly.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antiroyal
  adjective
• nonroyal
  adjective
• preroyal
  adjective
• pseudoroyal
  adjective
• quasi-royal
  adjective
• nonroyally
  adverb
• preroyally
  adverb
• pseudoroyally
  adverb
• quasi-royally
  adverb
• royally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• royals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of royal

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin rēgālis “kingly,” equivalent to rēg- (stem of rēx ) “king” + -ālis adjective suffix; see regal ¹, -al ¹

Explanation

Your highness! Anything royal has to do with a king or queen. The official announcement a queen makes is a royal declaration. Unofficially, royal can mean fit for a king or queen, like a royal welcome with cake and balloons. Queen Elizabeth's corgis could be called the royal dogs, and the people who work at Buckingham Palace are the royal staff. Queen Elizabeth herself is royal — when royal describes a person it means someone who's a queen or king or belongs to a monarch's family. You can also use it sarcastically by saying someone’s a royal pain. No royalty necessary.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

royal royals

Liechtenstein has announced that it has changed royal succession rules to allow women to ascend the throne.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

In one sequence, Claude Bessy, a Paris Opera étoile, plays a model, wooed by her lover and eating a sandwich with the most royal disinterest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

They might not be quite as prominent as the Mannings or Kelces, but when it comes to football’s royal families, the McCaffreys are in the conversation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The royal couple drew gasps and cheers from the audience at the Hydro as they appeared on a stage that had been turned into a giant garden.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The queen’s sister, Empress Marie of Russia, took photographs during the royal inspection, and afterward, the eager fans who mobbed the dock gave the crew teddy bears and other mascots to carry south.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Asahiro Kuni, 81, a member of one of the 11 imperial branches, has also said he would advise his grandchildren to refuse the opportunity of becoming royals.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

British Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery has invited Prince George and Princess Charlotte to play tennis with him, after meeting the royals at the men's single's final.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

King Misuzulu's coronation came after a year-long family feud, with some royals arguing that he was not the rightful heir and that his father's will had been forged.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The royals packed their suitcases, bade farewell to the palace staff, and climbed into an armored Mercedes that drove them to a nearby rail station.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

I don’t know why the royals have a second house, especially since the capital palace is so fine and beautiful.

From "Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard

Related Words

• aristocratic
• dignified
• illustrious
• imperial
• magnificent
• noble
• stately