royal
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a king, queen, or other sovereign.
royal power; a royal palace.
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descended from or related to a king or line of kings.
a royal prince.
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noting or having the rank of a king or queen.
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established or chartered by or existing under the patronage of a sovereign.
a royal society.
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(initial capital letter) serving or subject to a king, queen, or other sovereign.
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proceeding from or performed by a sovereign.
a royal warrant.
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appropriate to or befitting a sovereign; magnificent; stately.
royal splendor.
- Synonyms:
- majestic
- Antonyms:
- servile
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(usually initial capital letter) in the service of the monarch or of the Commonwealth.
Royal Marines; Royal Air Force.
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fine; excellent.
in royal spirits.
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Informal. extreme or persistent; unmitigated.
a royal nuisance; a royal pain.
noun
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Nautical. a sail set on a royal mast.
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Informal. a royal person; member of the royalty.
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Chiefly British. Usually royals. a member of England's royal family.
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a size of printing paper, 20 × 25 inches (51 × 64 centimeters).
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a size of writing paper, 19 × 24 inches (48 × 61 centimeters).
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Numismatics. any of various former coins, as the real or ryal.
adjective
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of, relating to, or befitting a king, queen, or other monarch; regal
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(prenominal; often capital) established, chartered by, under the patronage or in the service of royalty
the Royal Society of St George
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being a member of a royal family
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above the usual or normal in standing, size, quality, etc
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informal unusually good or impressive; first-rate
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nautical just above the topgallant (in the phrase royal mast )
noun
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informal (sometimes capital) a member of a royal family
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Also called: royal stag. a stag with antlers having 12 or more branches
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nautical a sail set next above the topgallant, on a royal mast
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a size of printing paper, 20 by 25 inches
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Also called: small royal. a size of writing paper, 19 by 24 inches
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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 )
Related Words
See kingly.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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 regal 1, -al 1
Explanation
Your highness! Anything royal has to do with a king or queen. The official announcement a queen makes is a royal declaration. Unofficially, royal can mean fit for a king or queen, like a royal welcome with cake and balloons. Queen Elizabeth's corgis could be called the royal dogs, and the people who work at Buckingham Palace are the royal staff. Queen Elizabeth herself is royal — when royal describes a person it means someone who's a queen or king or belongs to a monarch's family. You can also use it sarcastically by saying someone’s a royal pain. No royalty necessary.
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.
In 1785 the impresario Carlo Delpini promoted a Venetian night at the royal command of the Prince of Wales.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Eight years after going off the air, “Sofia the First” is getting another opportunity to find out what being royal is all about.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Out of pocket, Delpino chased the Prince of Wales for decades, but got the royal brushoff.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Having divorced Andrew, Ferguson didn't have an official royal role.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
A new video game comes out; a royal baby gets born.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
