archangel
noun
a chief or principal angel; in medieval angelology one of the nine orders of celestial attendants on God.
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archangel
1 American
[ahrk-eyn-juhl]
/ ˈɑrkˌeɪn dʒəl /
noun
-
archangels
plural
-
Theology. a chief or principal angel; in medieval angelology one of the nine orders of celestial attendants on God.
Archangel
2
American
[ahrk-eyn-juhl]
/ ˈɑrkˌeɪn dʒəl /
noun
-
Russian Arkhangelsk. a seaport in the northwestern Russian Federation in Europe, on Dvina Bay.
-
Gulf of Archangel, former name of Dvina Bay.
archangel
1
British
/ ˈɑːkˌeɪndʒəl /
noun
-
a principal angel, a member of the order ranking immediately above the angels in medieval angelology
-
another name for angelica
-
a Eurasian herbaceous plant ( Lamiastrum luteum ) that has yellow helmet-shaped flowers: family Lamiaceae (labiates)
-
a bronze-coloured breed of domestic pigeon with black markings
Archangel
2
British
/ ˈɑːkˌeɪndʒəl /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of archangel
before 1000; early Middle English arc ( h ) angel < Anglo-French, Old French arc ( h ) ang ( e ) le < Late Latin archangelus < Greek archángelos; replacing Old English hēahengel; see high, arch- 1, angel
Explanation
In religious writing, an archangel is the most important angel of all, sometimes described as ranking above the regular angels. You'll come across the noun archangel if you're reading Christian, Judaic, or Islamic religious texts. In the Christian Bible, the word archangel is only used twice, once generally and once to refer to Michael, although there are many other figures in Christianity considered to be archangels. The Greek root word, arkhangelos, is made up of arkh, "first or chief," and angelos, "angel."
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:
He encounters criminals, a spell-casting witch and his opponent from the heavenly spheres, an archangel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The blockade in downtown Kyiv on Monday appeared to center on landmark St. Michael’s monastery, dedicated to the archangel Michael.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2023
Such a move isn't entirely unprecedented, after all; wasn't it thrilling to see Tilda Swinton swooped in at the end of 2005's "Constantine" as the archangel Gabriel?
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2022
Beatific and terrifying as an archangel, Collin is giving one of the best performances on television right now; she’s TV’s greatest radical mom since Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings on “The Americans.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2022
Five of the pictures showcased the prize-winning Maine coons she’d raised over the years, most way before I was born, all male and each named after an archangel.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Instead of depicting the Archangel Gabriel visibly, he only suggested his presence.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
He also said he was Michael the Angel of Death, referencing the Archangel Michael, who is tasked with escorting souls to the afterlife, prosecutors said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2025
David Milarch, founder of the Michigan-based Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, which has supplied PropagationNation with redwoods and sequoias, says his trees aren’t intended to replace Pacific Northwest native species.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 2023
In 2014, Iomax offered the Archangel to the Philippines as a replacement for its aging counterinsurgency force.
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2022
They could not have been more nervous and awestruck if the Archangel Gabriel himself had descended to earth.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
By the late 17th century, paintings of musket-wielding archangels were popular in the borderlands of modern Bolivia and Peru.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious name; evermore praising thee, and saying,
From BBC ● May 5, 2023
With a fanciful, skillfully written score, the piece presents a beguiling present-day story of a group of hapless archangels having trouble recruiting a young woman to bear God in human form.
From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2022
More crassly, the archangels promised to give the women the “lost measurements” to finding oil and gold deposits across the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2022
And while the archangels are preparing the courtroom and the blessed tune their harps and certain others lie hunching under their fires, the ladies will be dashing hysterically in and out of fitting rooms.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
