empress
Americannoun
-
the wife or widow of an emperor
-
a woman who holds the rank of emperor in her own right
-
a woman of great power and influence
Gender
See -ess.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of empress
1125–75; Middle English emperice, emperesse < Anglo-French; Old French emperesse, empereriz < Latin imperātrīcem, accusative of imperātrix, feminine of imperātor. See emperor, -trix
Explanation
An empress is either a female emporer or the wife of an emporer. Either way, it's a powerful woman. There are a lot of words that have gender built into them, like fireman and waitress. Another is empress, which is a female emperor. An emperor is like a king: a person with absolute power over a country. An empress is therefore like a queen. Also, just as a queen is the wife of a king, an empress might be the wife of an emperor, meaning she's not the ruler of the country but just married to the ruler.
Vocabulary lists containing empress
Chinese History - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Japanese History - Middle School and High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Chinese History - Middle School and High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
At the same time, she draws inspiration from the women in Ethiopian history who fought for the country’s independence, including an empress who went into battle against the Italian army.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
This upcoming Spring/Summer 2026 season has been inspired by Vietnam's former ruling Nguyen dynasty, notably Emperor Khai Dinh and the last empress consort, Nam Phuong, who both lived under colonial French rule.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Among the stolen pieces was a large, diamond-encrusted bow brooch that belonged to the same empress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025
The state visit to the UK by the emperor and empress of Japan will go ahead later this month, says Buckingham Palace.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2024
The advice that rankled most came from Ward McAllister, factotum and chief slipperlick to Mrs. William Astor, empress of New York society.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Recording from his home in Pasadena, he has played men and women of all ages, races, nationalities and abilities, as well as “postapocalyptic people living in trees and empresses of fictitious planets,” he notes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2025
The organisation has close ties with the imperial family, with previous empresses serving as honorary presidents.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2024
I postponed my research on Sims, believing him to be an altruistic outlier who could be a balm in my distressing work: someone who, according to one statue’s inscription, treated “alike empresses and slaves”.
From Nature ● Sep. 17, 2017
As explained earlier, a few empresses wielded great power.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012
Round the room are ranged 83 busts of Roman emperors, empresses, and their near relations, forming perhaps the most interesting portrait gallery in the world.
From Walks in Rome by Augustus J. C. Hare
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.
