monarch

noun

mon·​arch ˈmä-nərk 

-ˌnärk

1

: a person who reigns over a kingdom or empire: such as

a

: a sovereign ruler

b

: a constitutional (see constitutional entry 1 sense 3) king or queen

2

: one that holds preeminent position or power

cotton, monarch of the textile world

—Wall Street Journal

3

: monarch butterfly

monarchal

mə-ˈnär-kəl 

mä-

adjective

or monarchial

mə-ˈnär-kē-əl 

mä-

Synonyms

• ruler
• sovereign
• emperor

Examples of monarch in a Sentence

a new history of French monarchs

the ruling monarch of Britain at that time was Queen Elizabeth I

Recent Examples on the Web

Biggest monarch in all of the land. —Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025

The title was granted to Andrew, 65, the late queen’s reportedly favorite son, by the monarch on his wedding day to Sarah Ferguson in 1986. —Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025

The service marked the first time a British monarch has prayed with a pope in public since the Reformation in the 16th Century. —Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025

The monarchs introduced a range of other changes. —Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin monarcha, from Greek monarchos, from mon- + -archos -arch

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing monarch

• monarch butterfly

Rhymes for monarch

• ballpark
• benchmark
• birthmark
• daymark
• earmark
• embark
• hallmark
• landmark
• postmark
• remark
• skylark
• tetrarch

Kids Definition

monarch

noun

mon·​arch ˈmän-ərk 

-ˌärk

1

: a person who reigns over a kingdom or empire: as

a

: a ruler who has total power

absolute monarch

b

: someone who acts primarily as chief of state and who has only limited powers

constitutional monarch

2

: someone or something like a monarch

the oak is the monarch of the forest

3

: monarch butterfly

monarchal

mə-ˈnär-kəl 

mä-

adjective

or monarchial

-kē-əl