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monarch

noun
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mon·​arch | \ ˈmä-nərk How to pronounce monarch (audio) , -ˌnärk \

Definition of monarch

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
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Other Words from monarch

monarchal \ mə-​ˈnär-​kəl How to pronounce monarch (audio) , mä-​ \ or monarchial \ mə-​ˈnär-​kē-​əl How to pronounce monarch (audio) , mä-​ \ adjective

Synonyms for monarch

Synonyms

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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 Britain’s Channel 4 might have wondered about the care and respect shown by program director Ian Katz for the 94-year-old monarch, CNN reports. — oregonlive, "Fake Queen Elizabeth follows real monarch’s televised Christmas address, complains about Prince Harry leaving U.K.," 25 Dec. 2020 Basically, a monarch doesn’t have anything, like all insects. — Morgan Greene, chicagotribune.com, "Federal officials say monarch butterflies need protection under the Endangered Species Act, but they won’t get it this year," 15 Dec. 2020 On December 25th, Queen Elizabeth will deliver her 68th Christmas address as the British monarch. — Katie Frost, Town & Country, "How the Queen's First Televised Christmas Broadcast Changed the Royal Family Forever," 14 Dec. 2020 And so on Week 536, an anonymous Empress introduced herself as the new monarch, and the Inker as the first-prize trophy. — Washington Post, "Style Conversational Week 1413: Our new not-so-big top -- the Clowning Achievement trophy," 3 Dec. 2020 Prince Khalifa's brother, Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, took power in 1961 and served as monarch when Bahrain gained its independence from Britain in 1971. — Jon Gambrell, Star Tribune, "Bahrain's long-serving prime minister dies at age 84," 11 Nov. 2020 New research from scientists at Florida Atlantic University shows that monarch caterpillars do, too. — Washington Post, "These caterpillars aren’t just hungry, they’re hangry," 22 Dec. 2020 However, officials proposed Tuesday listing the monarch under the Endangered Species Act in 2024, delaying several legal protections for the butterfly and its habitat. — Sophie Lewis, CBS News, "Trump administration delays endangered species protection for monarch butterfly "on the brink of collapse"," 15 Dec. 2020 Her great-grandmother Queen Victoria, the second longest-reigning monarch, reigned for 63 years. — Michael Stillwell, Town & Country, "The British Royal Family Tree," 11 Nov. 2020

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

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First Known Use of monarch

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for monarch

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

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Time Traveler for monarch

Time Traveler

The first known use of monarch was in the 15th century

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Statistics for monarch

Last Updated

15 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Monarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarch. Accessed 21 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for monarch

monarch

noun
How to pronounce monarch (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of monarch

: a person (such as a king or queen) who rules a kingdom or empire

See the full definition for monarch in the English Language Learners Dictionary

monarch

noun
mon·​arch | \ ˈmä-nərk How to pronounce monarch (audio) , -ˌnärk \

Kids Definition of monarch

1 : a person who reigns over a kingdom or an empire
2 : monarch butterfly

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More from Merriam-Webster on monarch

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for monarch

Nglish: Translation of monarch for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of monarch for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about monarch

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