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Synonyms

princess

American  
[prin-sis, -ses, prin-ses] / ˈprɪn sɪs, -sɛs, prɪnˈsɛs /

noun

  1. a nonreigning female member of a royal family.

  2. History/Historical. a female sovereign or monarch; queen.

  3. the consort of a prince.

  4. (in Great Britain) a daughter or granddaughter (if the child of a son) of a king or queen.

  5. a woman considered to have the qualities or characteristics of a princess.

adjective

  1. Also princesse. (of a woman's dress, coat, or the like) styled with a close-fitting bodice and flared skirt, cut in single pieces, as gores, from shoulder to hem.

princess British  
/ prɪnˈsɛs /

noun

  1. (in Britain) a daughter of the sovereign or of one of the sovereign's sons

  2. a nonreigning female member of a sovereign family

  3. the wife and consort of a prince

  4. any very attractive or outstanding woman

  5. 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Gender

See -ess.

Other Word Forms

  • princesslike adjective
  • princessly adjective

Etymology

Origin of princess

1350–1400; Middle English princesse < Middle French. See prince, -ess

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.

Everybody’s favorite fearless and super capable princess is back for another adventure — along with the denizens of her kingdom and a pair of New York plumber brothers — in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The Epstein files release rocked Norway’s political establishment, spurring an investigation into a former prime minister and drawing a public apology from the country’s crown princess.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Mexico’s reigning pop princess is entering her femme fatale era.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

The weekend before the trial started, hundreds of emails dating from 2011-14 emerged linking the crown princess to Epstein, intensifying public scrutiny and heaping embarrassment on the royal family.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Jack pointed up at the fairy, surprised that the princess, with her incredible hearing, hadn’t heard the fairy in her hair.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

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.