royal

[ roi-uhl ]

/ ˈrɔɪ əl /

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See synonyms for: royal / royals / royally on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or relating to a king, queen, or other sovereign: royal power; a royal palace.

descended from or related to a king or line of kings: a royal prince.

noting or having the rank of a king or queen.

established or chartered by or existing under the patronage of a sovereign: a royal society.

(initial capital letter) serving or subject to a king, queen, or other sovereign.

proceeding from or performed by a sovereign: a royal warrant.

appropriate to or befitting a sovereign; magnificent; stately: royal splendor.

(usually initial capital letter)British. in the service of the monarch or of the Commonwealth: Royal Marines; Royal Air Force.

fine; excellent: in royal spirits.

Informal. extreme or persistent; unmitigated: a royal nuisance; a royal pain.

noun

Nautical. a sail set on a royal mast.

Informal. a royal person; member of the royalty.

Usually royals. Chiefly British. a member of England's royal family.

a size of printing paper, 20 × 25 inches (51 × 64 centimeters).

a size of writing paper, 19 × 24 inches (48 × 61 centimeters).

Numismatics. any of various former coins, as the real or ryal.

OTHER WORDS FOR royal

7 majestic.

See synonyms for royal on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR royal

7 servile.

See antonyms for royal on Thesaurus.com

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of royal

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin rēgālis “kingly,” equivalent to rēg- (stem of rēx ) “king” + -ālis adjective suffix; see regal¹, -al¹

synonym study for royal

7. See kingly.

OTHER WORDS FROM royal

roy·al·ly, adverban·ti·roy·al, adjectivenon·roy·al, adjectivenon·roy·al·ly, adverb

pre·roy·al, adjectivepre·roy·al·ly, adverbpseu·do·roy·al, adjectivepseu·do·roy·al·ly, adverbquasi-royal, adjectivequa·si-roy·al·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH royal

roil, royal

Words nearby royal

Roxas, Roxas y Acuña, Roxburgh, Roxburghshire, Roy, royal, Royal Academy, Royal Air Force, Royal Air Force List, Royal and Ancient Club, Royal Anne

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use royal in a sentence

The wealthy might, and often did, choose to leave town much like the royal court.
Covid-19 dashboards are vital, yet flawed, sources of public information|Jacqueline Wernimont|January 26, 2021|Washington Post
The royal couple’s Archewell organization has signed a multiyear agreement with the company, with the first series coming next year.
Prince Harry and Meghan sign multiyear podcasting deal with Spotify|ehinchliffe|December 15, 2020|Fortune
It won’t be the royal’s last investment, if this story is anything to go by.
The IPO slate for 2021 gets heavy|Lucinda Shen|December 14, 2020|Fortune
My London Trip That Was Not to Be touched all the bases — royal getaways, tea at Claridge’s, the National Gallery, Scotland Yard and, of course, theater in the West End.
My trip to London was canceled, so I took it on YouTube instead|Nancy Nathan|December 10, 2020|Washington Post

The most recent season also saw the differences between the various royal generations highlighted more clearly.
How Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ achieves its look—even as each season evolves|radmarya|August 29, 2020|Fortune
He is expected to spend the next few days closeted with lawyers and advisers at his home, Royal Lodge, in Windsor Great Park.
From Playboy Prince to Dirty Old Man?|Tom Sykes|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But Sarah Ferguson still lives in the family home, Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, when she is in the U.K.
Fergie Dives Into Prince Andrew’s Sex Scandal|Tom Sykes|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Royal Family has benefited hugely from the American blood in its veins.
The Real-Life ‘Downton’ Millionairesses Who Changed Britain|Tim Teeman|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Royal Christmases have a rhythm and routine—but this year Will, Kate, and baby George have their own, more relaxed plans.
Prince George’s Christmas: Better Than Yours|Tom Sykes|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And in a big departure from established royal protocol, Prince George might even get a—gasp—present to open on Christmas Day.
Prince George’s Christmas: Better Than Yours|Tom Sykes|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The experience of the Jesuit fathers at Port Royal is related at length, from their own point of view.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
They were never refused, for their recipients looked upon them much in the light of a royal command.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
A royal decree (December 31, 1622) orders the Dominicans in the Philippines not to meddle in affairs of government.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
In Paris, Joachim soon found that the royal road to success lay in denouncing loudly all superior officers of lack of patriotism.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
This led to her painting portraits of various members of the royal family while she was still a pupil of De Zichys.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement

British Dictionary definitions for royal

royal

/ (ˈrɔɪəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or befitting a king, queen, or other monarch; regal

(prenominal; often capital) established, chartered by, under the patronage or in the service of royaltythe Royal Society of St George

being a member of a royal family

above the usual or normal in standing, size, quality, etc

informal unusually good or impressive; first-rate

nautical just above the topgallant (in the phrase royal mast)

noun

(sometimes capital) informal a member of a royal family

Also called: royal stag a stag with antlers having 12 or more branches

nautical a sail set next above the topgallant, on a royal mast

a size of printing paper, 20 by 25 inches

Also called: small royal mainly British a size of writing paper, 19 by 24 inches

any of various book sizes, esp 6 1/4 by 10 inches (royal octavo), 6 3/4 by 10 1/4 inches (super royal octavo), and (chiefly Brit) 10 by 12 1/2 inches (royal quarto) and 10 1/4 by 13 1/2 inches (super royal quarto)

Derived forms of royal

royally, adverb

Word Origin for royal

C14: from Old French roial, from Latin rēgālis, fit for a king, from rēx king; compare regal 1

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

royal

OTHER WORDS FOR royal

OPPOSITES FOR royal

Origin of royal

synonym study for royal

OTHER WORDS FROM royal

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH royal

Words nearby royal

Words related to royal

How to use royal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for royal

Derived forms of royal

Word Origin for royal