royal

[ roi-uhl ]

/ ˈrɔɪ əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR royal 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 cm).

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

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

RELATED WORDS

lavishly, generously, liberally

Nearby words

Origin of royal

1325–75; Middle English < Middle French < Latin rēgālis kingly, equivalent to rēg- (stem of rēx) king + -ālis -al¹; cf. regal¹

SYNONYMS FOR royal

7. majestic. See kingly.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR royal ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR royal

7. servile.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR royal ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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, adverbqua·si-roy·al, adjectivequa·si-roy·al·ly, adverb

Can be confusedroil royal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for royally

Bombshell report in the U.S. or royally obsessed with the Brits?
New York Post's Schizophrenia|Howard Kurtz|June 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Sexless and reassuring they may be, incapable of sin they may be, but they have screwed us royally all the same.
Berlusconi Exits, and an Era of Sexist Buffoonery Is Over|Lawrence Osborne|November 17, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Shall I royally discard it,” she asked, “or give them a buster?
The Life of Florence Nightingale vol. 2 of 2|Edward Tyas Cook
The two lines of battle were royally whacking away at each other, and there was no rest or peace in all that region.
Wounds in the rain|Stephen Crane

Many guests had been invited to meet him, and these were entertained until they were all royally drunk.
Historical Tales, Vol. 9 (of 15)|Charles Morris
And royally did the poor unlettered African fulfil the trust committed to his keeping.
Recitations for the Social Circle|James Clarence Harvey
There was nothing between him and his desires—nothing but that inborn justice and truth, in which he so royally believed.
Marzio's Crucifix and Zoroaster|F. Marion Crawford

British Dictionary definitions for royally

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 Formsroyally, 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

Word Origin and History for royally

royally

adv.

late 14c., "regally;" 1836, "gloriously," from royal (adj.) + -ly (2).

royal

adj.

mid-13c., "fit for a king;" late 14c., "pertaining to a king," from Old French roial "royal, regal; splendid, magnificent" (12c., Modern French royal), from Latin regalis "of a king, kingly, royal, regal," from rex (genitive regis) "king" (see rex). Meaning "thorough, total" attested from 1940s; that of "splendid, first-rate" from 1853.

Battle royal (1670s) preserves the French custom of putting the adjective after the noun (cf. attorney general); the sense of the adjective here is "on a grand scale" (cf. pair-royal "three of a kind in cards or dice," c.1600). The Royal Oak was a tree in Boscobel in Shropshire in which Charles II hid himself during flight after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Sprigs of oak were worn to commemorate his restoration in 1660.

royal

"royal person," c.1400, from royal (adj.). Specifically "member of the royal family" from 1774.

royal

adjective

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of royal

Examples from the Web for royally

royal

adjective

noun

Word Origin for royal

royally

royal

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