kingship
Americannoun
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the state, office, or dignity of a king.
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rule by a king; monarchy.
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aptitude for kingly duties.
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(initial capital letter) a title used in referring to a king: Majesty (preceded by His orYour ).
noun
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the position or authority of a king
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the skill or practice of ruling as a king
Etymology
Origin of kingship
First recorded in 1275–1325, kingship is from the Middle English word kingscip. See king, -ship
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.
Mr. Naismith argues that Offa’s real legacy was developing a new model of kingship, founded on tight control and individual competence.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
The repeated use of gold imagery only intensifies those concerns because of the symbolism gold carries historically and biblically: kingship, permanence, divinity and power.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
But it is continental kingship the 33-year-old has spent the twilight years of his career chasing.
From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026
The defining attribute of a dictatorship, as well as of kingship in its ancient and absolute form, is the assertion that law—its making, interpretation, adjudication, and enforcement—is an emanation of the will of one man.
From Slate • Feb. 21, 2025
How poorly, I thought, the mantle of kingship rested on his careless shoulders.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
