empress

noun

em·​press ˈem-prəs 

1

: the wife or widow of an emperor

2

: a woman who is the sovereign or supreme monarch of an empire

Examples of empress in a Sentence

the Emperor and Empress of Japan

Catherine the Great was Empress of Russia.

Recent Examples on the Web

It was commissioned by Catherine the Great by 1787 as a companion to another work owned by the Russian empress, Servius Tullius as a Child Asleep beneath the Miraculous Flame (1783–85). — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 2 July 2026

Its empress was feisty, focused on making money and completely uninterested in the emperor. — Lavender Au, The Dial, 30 June 2026

Catherine the Great began her reign as empress of Russia after seizing control from her husband, Peter III. — USA Today, 24 June 2026

The princess wore a white outfit for the occasion, and she was seen dipping into a curtsy for both the emperor and the empress, in addition to handshakes. — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English emperice, emperes (with assimilation of the suffix to -esse -ess), borrowed from Anglo-French emperice, empereis, going back to Late Latin imperātrīc-, imperātrīx (Latin, "female general [used ironically]"), from Latin imperāre "to give orders, exercise authority, hold political power" + -trīc-, -trīx, feminine agent suffix — more at emperor

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

empress

noun

em·​press ˈem-prəs 

1

: the wife or widow of an emperor

2

: a woman who is the ruler of an empire