adjective
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generous or lavish
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of, belonging to, or characteristic of a prince
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of princely
Explanation
Something princely is controlled by or suits a prince, like a princely territory or a princely velvet cape. If a prince (a male royal, often the son of a king or queen) rules certain areas, they are princely territories. And if a prince wears certain clothes, you could say he sports a princely outfit. You can also use this adjective to mean "fancy" or "opulent," so you might describe the princely furnishings in your elegant hotel room or the princely offerings on the menu at a four-star restaurant.
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.
See Examples For:
Two years later, he provided invaluable career advice to Bruce Springsteen, who had recently signed to Columbia for the princely sum of $25,000.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
They had assiduously saved the cash that came in from gifts and summer jobs, and it had compounded over time to reach a princely sum.
From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026
He will then visit the princely palace, the official residence of the Grimaldi dynasty since the 13th century, for a private meeting with Prince Albert.
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
Yes, you can enjoy the principality of Monaco, with its casinos, yachts and Grand Prix, without a princely budget.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
“Don’t you have princely duties to attend to?”
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
For one fleeting night a princelier nature captures us, and we become as great as our aspirations.
From The World I Live In by Keller, Helen
But I am of a greater and princelier house than the Sons of the Cat.
From Salute to Adventurers by Buchan, John
Nay, if we compare Pope to some of the later writers who have wrung still princelier rewards from fortune, the result is not unfavourable.
From Hours in a Library, Volume I. (of III.) by Stephen, Leslie, Sir
Beverly, boy!—on his white steed, I ween, A princelier presence has never been seen; And as yonder he lies, from the groups all apart, I bow to him loyally,—bow with my heart.
From Beechenbrook A Rhyme of the War by Preston, Margaret J.
Further to add to the complexity, he loved his liberty; he was princelier free; he had more subjects, more slaves; he ruled arrogantly in the world of women; he was more himself.
From The Egoist by Meredith, George
What are the princeliest of them beside the fiery halls of Tir-na-noge and the flame-built cities of the Gods?
From AE in the Irish Theosophist by Russell, George William
If Kemble was the ideal Coriolanus and Henry V., he was too kingly as Hamlet, and Booth is the princeliest Hamlet that ever trod the stage.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 103, May, 1866 by Various
And yet, in this princeliest of cities so to be selected by the noblest citizens as worthy of highest privilege, argues, methinks conclusively, an excellence forerunning exercise of rule.
From Agesilaus by Dakyns, Henry Graham
Yes; by your pleasure, Poetry is Thought, in princeliest attire, Treading a measure.
From A Book of Epigrams by Various
Madam," said the professor, with his princeliest smile, "the true Art cannot fail.
From Strictly business: more stories of the four million by Henry, O.
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.
