royal
Americanadjective
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- majestic
- Antonyms:
- servile
-
(usually initial capital letter) 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.
-
Chiefly British. Usually royals. 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.
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 royalty
the 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
-
informal (sometimes capital) 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. 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 )
Related Words
See kingly.
Other Word Forms
- antiroyal adjective
- nonroyal adjective
- nonroyally adverb
- preroyal adjective
- preroyally adverb
- pseudoroyal adjective
- pseudoroyally adverb
- quasi-royal adjective
- quasi-royally adverb
- royally adverb
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.
Despite the commitment, the Ellisons want the flexibility to include the Middle Eastern royal families and additional foreign investors.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
The minister said a "progress report" must be made three months after the legislation receives royal assent, adding this reflects "our intention to quickly produce a response following the consultation".
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
Paramount on Monday asked the FCC for authorization to include the royal families and other foreign investors to help finance the company’s proposed $81-billion transaction.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
The royal visitors had tea in the Green Room and were brought into the garden to see a newly-expanded beehive, rebuilt in the shape of a miniature White House.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
The governor of Bosnia had assured the royal couple that the police were fully in control.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
