princess
Americannoun
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princesses
plural
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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 concept had the goblin going out to a bar, hoping to charm the princess.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
"This project is about exploring how nature, creativity and relationships can best support the healthy development of babies and young children," says the princess.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The future princess of Wales and her siblings called their stepmother “Acid Raine” and were antagonists for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
The princess and her mother were confined, in Victoria’s later description, to “dreadfully dull, dark and gloomy” rooms in the aging residence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The princess tended to doze in her chair for much of the day, which meant she was often awake late at night, playing solitaire alone in her room.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
At Funko’s flagship Hollywood store, there are thousands to choose from, ranging from NFL players to Disney princesses and characters from the Netflix period drama “Bridgerton.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
For years, archaeologists have debated why some ancient Egyptian princesses were buried with weapons.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
Each trade has its kings and queens, its princes and princesses.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
"The men want to be passenger princesses," he says.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
"Your Highnesses, beautiful princesses, there is nothing to be afraid of," Don Quixote assured them.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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