monarchy

[mon-er-kee]

noun

plural

monarchies 

1. a state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch.

2. supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person.

monarchy

/ ˈmɒnəkɪ /

noun

1. a form of government in which supreme authority is vested in a single and usually hereditary figure, such as a king, and whose powers can vary from those of an absolute despot to those of a figurehead

2. a country reigned over by a king, prince, or other monarch

monarchy

1. A system of government in which one person reigns, usually a king or queen. The authority, or crown, in a monarchy is generally inherited. The ruler, or monarch, is often only the head of state, not the head of government. Many monarchies, such as Britain and Denmark, are actually governed by parliaments. (See absolute monarchy and constitutional monarchy.)

Other Word Forms

• antimonarchy adjective
• promonarchy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of monarchy¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English monarchie, from Late Latin monarchia, from Greek monarchía. See monarch, -y ³

Synonym Study

See kingdom.

Example Sentences

Formerly known as Swaziland, the country is the last absolute monarchy in Africa.

Read more on Barron's

"Such immunities are usually granted in absolute monarchies to sovereigns and not to elected leaders who should be accountable," lawyer Osama Malik told AFP.

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He disappointed Francoists by supporting a parliamentary system within a constitutional monarchy.

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Next year there will be a review of public funding for the monarchy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"I'm lucky enough to have travelled around the world and all people want to talk to me about is our monarchy. It makes me proud."

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• sovereignty 
• throne 

When To Use

What is a monarchy?

A monarchy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held by one person, either officially or ceremonially.In a monarchy, one person rules the government, and no human is above them in power. The ruler of a monarchy is called a monarch, and their position is nearly always hereditary, meaning that a member of their family will inherit their position when they die or willingly give up their power (known as abdicitation).Throughout history, monarchies have been a relatively common form of government. The ancient Egyptian pharaohs, the Roman and Chinese emperors, and the large number of European kings and queens ruled over monarchies.There are two major types of monarchies:

• In an absolute monarchy, the supreme ruler has total, unlimited power. Nobody can tell them what to do, and they can order their people to do anything they want. This form of monarchy was more common in the past than it is today. Some examples of modern countries with this form of monarchy are Swaziland and Saudi Arabia.



• In a limited monarchy or constitutional monarchy, the supreme ruler has limits on what they are actually able to do. Usually, their power is determined by a written constitution or a governing body that can restrain the actions they want to do. Of the monarchies that still exist today, most of them are limited monarchies, including those found in the United Kingdom and Norway.