princess
Americannoun
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a nonreigning female member of a royal family.
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History/Historical. a female sovereign or monarch; queen.
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the consort of a prince.
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(in Great Britain) a daughter or granddaughter (if the child of a son) of a king or queen.
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a woman considered to have the qualities or characteristics of a princess.
adjective
noun
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(in Britain) a daughter of the sovereign or of one of the sovereign's sons
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a nonreigning female member of a sovereign family
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the wife and consort of a prince
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any very attractive or outstanding woman
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Also called: princess dress. princess line. a style of dress with a fitted bodice and an A-line skirt that is shaped by seams from shoulder to hem without a seam at the waistline
Gender
See -ess.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of princess
1350–1400; Middle English princesse < Middle French. See prince, -ess
Explanation
A princess is the daughter of a king or queen, or the wife of a prince. Some children like to have princess parties because they get to wear fancy dresses, tiaras, and little plastic high heels. In countries that are monarchies, rulers are born into their positions and are typically called kings and queens. If they have a daughter, she’s a princess. Women who marry into these families can also become princesses. The popular image of a princess might be Cinderella dressed for the ball, but modern princesses look a lot more like ordinary people. Princess is the feminine form of prince, from the Latin princeps, "chief leader."
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:
The 155th Brigade is known as "Anne of Kyiv", named after a Medieval Kyiv princess who married into the French royal family.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Moana” became a box office hit, captivating audiences with catchy earworms from Lin-Manuel Miranda and a spunky young heroine who rejected the label of princess.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
That same year he began a romance with Princess Margaret, and two years later, Armstrong-Jones and the princess married at Westminster Abbey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
After completing the challenge, the princess paid tribute to the charity as "a place that holds great meaning for me and whose care and expertise are life changing for so many people".
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Everyone agreed that she was like a princess in the kimono.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
Operating since 2002, Funky Divas & Dudes, like most of these party businesses, offers princesses, superheroes and other pop culture-inspired characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
It is understood the princesses do pay rent on their royal properties.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026
Until the last minute, it was unclear whether the princesses would appear at Sandringham.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026
We also approached a number of other charities the princesses are involved with, asking whether they retain their confidence in light of the recent emails.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026
Delsa and Norma, who liked to dress like princesses whenever possible, wore out their three good dresses in no time.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
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.
