monarchy

noun

mon·​ar·​chy ˈmä-nər-kē 

 also  -ˌnär-

plural monarchies

1

: undivided rule or absolute sovereignty by a single person

Saudi Arabia is governed by a monarchy.

2

: a nation or state having a monarchical government

Britain is a monarchy.

3

: a government having a hereditary chief of state with life tenure and powers varying from nominal to absolute

The country's hereditary monarchy survived for centuries.

Examples of monarchy in a Sentence

the French monarchy of the 18th century

Recent Examples on the Web

Young people have become more opposed to monarchy in Britain in recent years, bringing overall popularity levels down. —Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025

From plans for succession and the King’s funeral, to possible future changes to the monarchy, a lot is going on. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 10 Sep. 2025

At a time when Germany still had a monarchy, the grandness of the Reichstag’s design was intended to rival any structure the monarchy would build for itself. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 Sep. 2025

The unrest is the worst in decades in the poor Himalayan country that is wedged between India and China and has struggled with political instability and economic uncertainty since protests led to the abolition of its monarchy in 2008. —Gopal Sharma, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing monarchy

• constitutional monarchy

Kids Definition

monarchy

noun

mon·​ar·​chy ˈmän-ər-kē 

plural monarchies

1

: total rule by one person

2

: a nation or country ruled by a monarch

3

: a form of government having a chief of state who inherits the position, rules for life, and holds powers varying from very limited to total