dynasty

noun dy·nas·ty \ ˈdī-nə-stē also -ˌnas-tē , especially British ˈdi-nə-stē \

Definition of dynasty

plural dynasties

1 :a succession of rulers of the same line of descent (see descent 1a)

a dynasty that ruled China for nearly 300 years

2 :a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time

born into a powerful political dynasty

a baseball dynasty

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dynastic

play \dī-ˈnas-tik\ adjective

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dynastically

play \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See dynasty defined for English-language learners

See dynasty defined for kids

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Examples of dynasty in a Sentence

a dynasty that ruled China for nearly 300 years
There was a civil war during the dynasty.
She was born into a powerful political dynasty.

Recent Examples of dynasty from the Web

No person or institution is more emblematic of reality television and social media’s great might than the Kardashian-Jenner family, a sprawling dynasty of models and moguls and some transcendent brand of celebrity that needs no qualifier to survive.

— richard lawson, vanityfair.com, "Who Is America’s Most Envied Kardashian-Jenner?," 16 Aug. 2017
The three Kim dynasty leaders have been hailed as godlike figures by North Korean media and government.

— emma sarran webster, Teen Vogue, "North Korea: What to Know About Its Government and Nuclear Weapons History," 9 Aug. 2017
Established in 1925, the museum housed remnants of imperial history, with most artifacts dating to the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

— meilan solly, Smithsonian, "This Taiwanese Museum Just Digitized Its Massive Collection of Chinese Art," 8 Aug. 2017
Long before the Brady & Belichick dynasty, the Patriots were a football laughingstock.

— paul doyle, courant.com, "On The Fly: Few Bigger Stars With Early Patriots Than Vito 'Babe' Parilli," 15 July 2017
But long before Pyongyang began lighting off ballistic missiles and churning out nuclear warheads, the Kim dynasty has been facing down assassination threats, both real and imagined.

— annabelle timsit, The Atlantic, "Mosul Rivalries and Pyongyang Assassins: The Week in Global-Affairs Writing," 14 July 2017
A funny thing happened on the way to the Cubs dynasty.

— paul sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Buyers, sellers and more: What to watch for in second half of MLB season," 13 July 2017
Even though these are fantasy worlds, there are tribes, families, and dynasties.

— ella ceron, Teen Vogue, "'Game of Thrones' Casting Director Responds to Lack of Diverse Actors on Show," 12 July 2017
And in the end, Daenerys will reclaim the Iron Throne for House Targaryen—perhaps with Jon Snow at her side—restarting a dynasty that originally ended when Jaime Lannister stabbed the Mad King and Robert Baratheon crushed Prince Rhaegar.

— scott meslow, GQ, "Game of Thrones," 4 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dynasty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Sports dynasties

Dynasty has been in use in English for over 600 years, for most of that time referring to a ruling family that maintains power through succession. Around the beginning of the 19th century, the word developed the figurative sense “a group or family that dominates a particular field for generations.” Nowadays, this sense of dynasty is often applied to a sports franchise which has a prolonged run of successful seasons. The sports use appears to have begun in the early 20th century. An article in The Washington Post in 1905 refers to “John T. Brush’s baseball dynasty,” and by 1912 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that “if players were free agents at the end of every two years, baseball dynasties such as those built up by the Cubs, Athletics, Detroits and Giants would not be possible.”

dynasty Has Greek Roots

Dynast and dynasty both descend from the Greek verb dynasthai, which means "to be able" or "to have power." Dynasty came to prominence in English first; it has been part of our language since at least the 14th century. Dynast took its place in the linguistic family line in the early 1600s, and it has been used to describe sovereigns and other rulers ever since.

Origin and Etymology of dynasty

see dynast

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

DYNASTY Defined for English Language Learners

dynasty

noun

Definition of dynasty for English Language Learners

: a family of rulers who rule over a country for a long period of time; also : the period of time when a particular dynasty is in power
: a family, team, etc., that is very powerful or successful for a long period of time