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
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.
The couple posed for pictures on the bench from where Princess Diana was photographed alone in an iconic 1992 shot.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
The Diamond Princess is actually quite an informative example of how many people might be evading doctors on cruise ships.
From Slate • May 16, 2026
Looking a bit unsure of herself, the Princess of Wales kneaded the dough, applied a filling and cut out the pasta shapes as Ivan Lampredi, a chef, assisted her.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
Goldman and his wife had been on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Asia, and he spiked a fever while on an evacuation flight back to the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
“After a tour of the colonies, the Princess Louise and I are returning to London for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Sixty years upon the greatest throne in human history!”
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
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.
