monarchy

American  

[mon-er-kee] / ˈmɒn ər ki /

noun

• monarchies
  plural

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.

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monarchy British  

/ 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

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monarchy Cultural  

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.)

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Usage

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.

Synonym Usage

See kingdom.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antimonarchy
  adjective
• promonarchy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monarchies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of monarchy

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

Compare meaning

How does monarchy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• oligarchy vs. monarchy
• autocracy vs. monarchy

Explanation

A monarchy is a country that is ruled by a monarch, and monarchy is this system or form of government. A monarch, such as a king or queen, rules a kingdom or empire. In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch's power is limited by a constitution. But in an absolute monarchy, the monarch has unlimited power. Monarchy is an old form of government, and the word has been around a long time. It derives from Greek monarkhiā, from monarkhos, "monarch."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monarchy monarchies

In addition, having cast off the rule of Spain’s Catholic monarchy, the newly formed Dutch Republic espoused a greater, though still incomplete, sense of religious tolerance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

This highly influential, behind the scenes, figure is responsible for organising the King and Queen's official work, advising on events such as the Coronation and also getting involved in more personal aspects of the monarchy.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

On the other hand, if a country is not a hereditary monarchy, its sitting head of state is almost certainly not on its circulating coins.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Eswatini, Africa's last absolute monarchy, confirmed last year it had received around $5.1 million from the United States to accept 160 deportees.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

It was also, at least implicitly, a justification for the strong executive leadership Washington had provided in the 1790s and that his critics had stigmatized as a monarchy.

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

This is the case for about 62% of the monarchies in my database, or 21 out of 34.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

All but one of the 13 countries that did so are hereditary monarchies.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

He believes blockchain can be used to bring this world about and that the result would be "corporate monarchies" ruled over by "CEO-kings".

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Africa has become a place of economic competition between multiple powers, including the United States, China, Europe, Russia, Turkey and Gulf monarchies.

From Barron's ● May 13, 2026

“Lily is the queen of the bounce house. Well, that’s what she says anyway. I told her monarchies are outdated and probably—” Emma turns to me.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• sovereignty
• throne