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

Besides their relation to France's last monarchy, the Bourbon-Parma family will be remembered for their historic jewelry collection. —Elle Meier, InStyle, 9 Jan. 2026

His visibility allows the regime to portray protesters as tools of foreign powers and the discredited monarchy—precisely what Pahlavi’s meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu accomplished in 2023. —Bobby Ghosh, Time, 9 Jan. 2026

First, that monarchies are inherently corrupt. —Dan Snyder, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026

Other chants included slogans supporting the monarchy. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026

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