Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Elizabeth I

American  

noun

  1. Elizabeth Tudor, 1533–1603, queen of England 1558–1603 (successor of Mary I; daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn).


Elizabeth I British  

noun

  1. 1533–1603, queen of England (1558–1603); daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She established the Church of England (1559) and put an end to Catholic plots, notably by executing Mary Queen of Scots (1587) and defeating the Spanish Armada (1588). Her reign was notable for commercial growth, maritime expansion, and the flourishing of literature, music, and architecture

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Elizabeth I Cultural  
  1. A queen of England in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries; a brilliant and crafty ruler who presided over the Renaissance in England. Her reign, the Elizabethan period, was a time of notable triumphs in literature (William Shakespeare rose to prominence while she was queen) and war (the defeat of the Spanish Armada). The daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth never married. She is called the “Virgin Queen” and “Good Queen Bess.”


Discover More

The state of Virginia is named after the “Virgin Queen.”

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 history of global corporations arguably began in 1600, when a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I granted the British East India Company a monopoly on Asian sea trade.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 3, 2026

More than a decade after Henry’s death, a daughter of his, Elizabeth I, became queen and restored confidence with a nationwide recoinage.

From Barron's Jan. 30, 2026

This year's setting is below the Lady Chapel's famous medieval vaulted ceiling, in a chapel where 15 previous kings and queens are buried, including Elizabeth I, Mary I and Charles II.

From BBC Dec. 23, 2025

In the 16th century, California came within a Tudor whisker of being a queen’s land: Elizabeth I.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 1, 2025

I quizzed him on various personalities, all of whom he seemed to know, and later in Port Elizabeth I confirmed that he was telling me the truth.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training