monarch

American  

[mon-erk, -ahrk] / ˈmɒn ərk, -ɑrk /

noun

• monarchs
  plural

1. a hereditary sovereign, as a king, queen, or emperor.

2. a sole and absolute ruler of a state or nation.

3. a person or thing that holds a dominant position.

   a monarch of international shipping.

4. monarch butterfly.

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monarch British  

/ ˈmɒnək /

noun

1. a sovereign head of state, esp a king, queen, or emperor, who rules usually by hereditary right

2. a supremely powerful or pre-eminent person or thing

3. Also called: milkweed. a large migratory butterfly, Danaus plexippus, that has orange-and-black wings and feeds on the milkweed plant: family Danaidae

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• monarchism
  noun
• monarchist
  noun
• antimonarch
  adjective
• monarchal
  adjective
• monarchical
  adjective
• monarchistic
  adjective
• monarchally
  adverb
• monarchically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monarchs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of monarch

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French monarche, monarch, from Late Latin monarcha, from Greek mónarchos “sole ruler, monarch”; see mon-, -arch

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Explanation

If you think the Queen of England is just the coolest thing ever, then you like monarchs: hereditary rulers of countries usually known as king or queen. You might think your principal rules with absolute power, but that's not really true: there's a school board and an administration and she can't really control everything. But a monarch can. Monarch comes from the Greek mono, "one," and archon, "ruler." Many modern monarchies actually have parliaments and constitutions, leaving the monarch more symbolic than powerful. A monarch is also a particularly royal looking butterfly with orange wings and black and white spots.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monarch monarchs

In the Bahamas on Tuesday, the monarch acknowledged "the great suffering of the past" during the first leg of his visit.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

The monarch inspected a guard of honor before travelling to Georgetown, where he attended a state reception at the presidential palace.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

An especially insidious form of corruption, one especially to be feared from a monarch or president, is the sale of the nation’s interests to a foreign power.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026

Yet executive power remains in the hands of the 63-year-old monarch.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Jefferson’s initial draft of the Declaration of Independence had included language that described the slave trade as the perverse plot of an evil English monarch designed to contaminate innocent colonists.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

“We’ve seen it in so many instances: If you build it, they will come. You plant a milkweed, monarchs show up the very next season.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

But, to the distress of his advisers, he is the most reluctant of monarchs, unwilling to wage war, issue decrees or even, many days, get out of bed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

European monarchs and world leaders paid tribute Friday to Norway's King Harald, after the royal palace announced his death at the age of 89.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Almost all the sitting heads of state who appear on the circulating coins that I analyzed are hereditary monarchs.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

The monarchs of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, along with the wild unallied faeries who came for the coronation, had made camp on the easternmost corner of the island.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

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Related Words

• emperor
• king
• queen
• sovereign

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