absolute monarchy

American  

[ab-suh-loot mon-er-kee] / ˈæb səˌlut ˈmɒn ər ki /

noun

1. a monarchy that is not limited or restrained by laws or a constitution.

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absolute monarchy British  

noun

1. a monarchy without constitutional limits Compare constitutional monarchy

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absolute monarchy Cultural  

1. Rule by one person — a monarch, usually a king or a queen — whose actions are restricted neither by written law nor by custom; a system different from a constitutional monarchy and from a republic. Absolute monarchy persisted in France until 1789 and in Russia until 1917.

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Other Word Forms

• absolute monarch
  noun

Compare meaning

How does absolute-monarchy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• absolute monarchy vs. constitutional monarchy

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

absolute monarchy

Thapa was drawn into politics as a teenager in the 1980s, when leftist and communist parties led a popular movement against absolute monarchy, giving rise to multi-party democracy since 1990.

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

"Even if they got elected into parliament, they do not have the power to hold the executive accountable, including the absolute monarchy," Zweli Martin Dlamini, the editor of Swaziland News, told the BBC's Newsday programme.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2023

Taiwan has provided large amounts of aid to the small southern African country ruled by an absolute monarchy, including in 2021 antiviral medication to help King Mswati III recover from COVID.

From Reuters ● Sep. 5, 2023

Eswatini is an absolute monarchy, and most of the country’s population live below the poverty line.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 4, 2023

After a hundred and fifty years of foreign war and civil discord, at a period when order and unity were ardently desired, an absolute monarchy had appeared the only power capable of realizing such aspirations.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 7 "Fox, George" to "France" by Various