divine right

noun

: the right of a sovereign to rule as set forth by the theory of government that holds that a monarch receives the right to rule directly from God and not from the people

Examples of divine right in a Sentence

He ruled by divine right. My boss seems to think he has a divine right to order people around.

Recent Examples on the Web Our leader shall not be a king ruling by divine right, as that was decided on this day in Philadelphia 248 years ago, but one of the common folk elevated freely by fellow citizens. —

New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 July 2024 The Shakespearean classic portrays the clash between divine right and pragmatic governance. —

Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 June 2024 Contrary to recent interpretations of Zionism inflected with religious and messianic flavors, Leibowitz challenged the notion that the Jewish people have a divine right to the land of Israel. —

Moti Mizrahi, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2023 Rather, Khomeini’s new constitution institutionalized the concept of velayat-e faqih, the divine right of the clergy to rule. —

Ervand Abrahamian, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2016 See all Example Sentences for divine right

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