Prince Charming
Americannoun
-
(sometimes lowercase) a man who embodies a woman's romantic ideal.
-
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
“I’m not seeing Prince Charming or anybody else coming forward with a bunch of money solving the problem for us this session,” he said.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 27, 2023
One version will be traditional - with a female Cinderella being swept off her feet by her Prince Charming.
From BBC • Sep. 28, 2023
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.
