coronation
Americannoun
-
coronations
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of coronation
1350–1400; Middle English coronacio ( u ) n < Anglo-French coronation < Latin coronāt ( us ) crowned ( see coronate) + Middle French -ion- -ion
Explanation
A coronation is the ceremony when a new King (or Queen, let's not be sexist) is officially installed. A coronation is usually quite glitzy and full of pomp. A coronation is the public handing over of title and powers to a new monarch. Other almost identical terms are enthronement and investiture. The term coronation is also sometimes used in a light-hearted, though sometimes sarcastic way, to describe the ascension of famous non-royal people who have achieved a particular level of public status — such as pop stars, politicians or celebrities. Coronation is derived from the Latin word corona, meaning "crown."
Vocabulary lists containing coronation
25 Words from "Baseball and Black History"
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Queen of the Sea
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"The Prince and the Pauper," Vocabulary from the drama
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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 brothers aren’t known to have spoken in years, and haven’t been photographed together since King Charles’s coronation in 2023, when Harry sat several rows behind his older brother at Westminster Abbey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
‘Prawned cocktail, coronation chicken, Black Forest gateau, onion soup. Done properly, they’re all delicious. Where’s all that kind of food gone?’
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
No other candidates stood in the contest to replace Starmer so Burnham’s selection amounted to a coronation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Tartan Army's coronation of statues in Boston baffled locals and global audiences alike, however the practice has divided opinion at home.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Beneath us, the preparations for the coronation go on.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Also known as Cambodia's royal ballet, classical dance performances were originally mounted for court occasions such as coronations or marriages.
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
His “Credo” for chorus and orchestra, which capped the program proper on Thursday, recalls both Handel’s “Zadok the Priest,” the anthem traditionally associated with British coronations, and edgy mid-20th-century European modernism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
The UK Parliament prepared a detailed briefing on the history and protocol of coronations and it's quite fascinating.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2024
“We don’t do coronations in America,” she has said often in South Carolina.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
To say that they are not heraldic, would be to say that they do not declare war, attend coronations, wear a tabard, or perform any of the functions of a herald—a gross absurdity.
From The Curiosities of Heraldry by Mark Antony Lower
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.
