Prince Charming
Americannoun
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(sometimes lowercase) a man who embodies a woman's romantic ideal.
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a man who avidly seeks the attention and affections of women; ladies' man.
Etymology
Origin of Prince Charming
1840–50; on the pattern of earlier King Charming, ultimately translation (with word order unchanged) of French Roi Charmant, the hero of a fairy tale by the Comtesse Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy (circa 1650–1705)
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.
“I ain’t sayin’ I was Prince Charming or nothin’.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
Every fairytale needs a happy ending, and after 11 albums of love, heartbreak and shattered dreams, Taylor Swift has found her Prince Charming.
From BBC • Aug. 27, 2025
Prince Charming speaks his truth with the same gravity that Kevin Costner used to muster when he rhapsodized over cowboy life on “Yellowstone,” a show Costner claimed he loved but not enough to stay.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2024
In modern romance fashion — the villain turns out to be the boy, not Prince Charming.
From Salon • Sep. 9, 2023
I guess you could call what I just got home from a “ball”—we all dressed up, I got to eat dinner with more silverware than I probably own, and I met Prince Charming.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
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.
