lèse-majesté
noun
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Lèse-majesté (or lese majesty, as it is also styled in English publications) came into English by way of Middle French, from the Latin laesa majestas, which literally means "injured majesty." The English term can conceivably cover any offense against a sovereign power or its ruler, from treason to a simple breach of etiquette, but lèse-majesté has also acquired a more lighthearted or ironic meaning, referring to something that insults or shows disrespect, especially to a particularly pompous or self-important person or organization. As such, it may be applied to a relatively inoffensive act that has been exaggeratedly treated as if it were a great affront.
Examples of lèse-majesté in a Sentence
Reuters, NBC news, 30 May 2025
How about Thailand and other monarchies with their lese-majeste laws?
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
But the party has since been hampered by political and legal challenges—from being blocked from taking the premiership and forming a ruling coalition to the ongoing threat of dissolution by the Constitutional Court for its efforts to amend the lese-majeste law.
—Koh Ewe, TIME, 27 May 2024
Bung was one of around 270 activists charged with lese-majeste since a wave of pro-democracy—and anti-monarchy—protests broke out in 2020.
—Koh Ewe, TIME, 14 May 2024
But the upstart Move Forward Party—led by the young and charismatic Pita Limjaroenrat and most known for its calls to amend Section 112, the controversial lese-majeste law wielded against pro-democracy activists—ended up getting even more votes.
—Time, 22 Aug. 2023
Move Forward won strong popular support in particular for its calls to amend Section 112, the country’s controversial lese-majeste law—which carries up to 15 years in prison for criticizing the royal family, and which in recent years has been used to target pro-democracy activists.
—Time, 13 July 2023
Move Forward has also championed the amendment of Section 112, a controversial lese-majeste law criticized by pro-democracy activists but upheld by the junta and royalists, including Move Forward’s coalition partner Pheu Thai.
—Time, 3 July 2023
Limjaroenrat is seeking to remove the military from politics and advocates for reform of the monarchy, including the country’s controversial lese-majeste law, Article 112.
—Julia Malleck, Quartz, 11 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Lèse-majesté.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/l%C3%A8se-majest%C3%A9. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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