royal

1 of 2

adjective

roy·​al ˈrȯi(-ə)l How to pronounce royal (audio)
1
a
: of kingly ancestry
the royal family
b
: of, relating to, or subject to the crown
the royal estates
c
: being in the crown's service
Royal Air Force
2
a
: suitable for royalty : magnificent
b
: requiring no exertion : easy
there is no royal road to logicJustus Buchler
3
a
: of superior size, magnitude, or quality
a patronage of royal dimensionsJ. H. Plumb
often used as an intensive
a royal pain
b
: established or chartered by the crown
4
: of, relating to, or being a part (such as a mast, sail, or yard) next above the topgallant

royal

2 of 2

noun

1
: a person of royal blood
2
: a small sail on the royal mast immediately above the topgallant sail
3
: a stag of 8 years or more having antlers with at least 12 points

Examples of royal in a Sentence

Adjective They received a royal welcome as they stepped off the plane. the school superintendent received a royal welcome Noun magazine stories about the private lives of royals
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Prince Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, previously had separate bios on the royal family’s website, which serves as a virtual home for information and updates on the modern monarchy. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 She was last seen at a Christmas Day service at Sandringham's St Mary Magdalene Church with her husband, Prince William, their three children and other members of the royal family. USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Among its celebrity and royal guests were the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Bob Hope and Elizabeth Taylor, who paid extra for her poodle. Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 To be royal is to become an avatar of duty and decorum. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 The royal institution has backed itself into a corner here. Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 Then the coroner, a royal official, would summon a jury of between a dozen and fifty men, from the four local parishes, to try to figure out what had happened. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2024 The conceit is familiar: A handful of recent films (and TV shows) have given audiences royal women eagerly subverting the tropes of medieval romances. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 Doing so explains how the dragon established the pact with a long-ago king (Matt Slack) that has called for so many royal sacrifices. Peter Debruge, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
The 40-second clip obtained by TMZ showed the royal talking and walking with Prince William, 41, through a parking lot at the Windsor Farm Shop. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 While some voices have called for speculators to give Kate and the royal family some privacy, and others have suggested completely reasonable explanations for Kate’s disappearance, the fact remains: For one reason or another, people care about the royals. Aj Willingham, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 The risk for the royal family, experts said, is that Catherine’s manipulation of the photo will cast doubt over other news and images released by them, depriving the royals of a useful channel to reach younger people. Mark Landler, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 In part due to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from royal life, there is a newfound sense of the royals as conniving and manipulative, and the press plays into this. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Queen Elizabeth II's cousins Prince Richard and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, are among the working royals to be in attendance. Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024 Some viewers on social media also pointed out blurriness around the royal's hair, zipper, as well as Prince Louis' hand. Greg Norman, Fox News, 11 Mar. 2024 Never mind that Elodie has never heard of this kingdom or its royals. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 With fewer working royals, the importance of being seen has never felt more vital. Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'royal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English roial, from Anglo-French real, roial, from Latin regalis, from reg-, rex king; akin to Old Irish (genitive rīg) king, Sanskrit rājan, Latin regere to rule — more at right

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of royal was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near royal

Cite this Entry

“Royal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/royal. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

royal

adjective
roy·​al
ˈrȯi(-ə)l
1
: of or relating to a sovereign : regal
2
: fit for a king or queen
a royal welcome
royally
ˈrȯi-ə-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on royal

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