1
: a person who reigns over a kingdom or empire: such as
a
: a sovereign ruler
b
: a constitutional (see constitutional entry 1 sense 1) king or queen
2
: one that holds preeminent position or power
Cotton, monarch of the textile world …—
Wall Street Journal
Wall Street JournalSynonyms of monarch
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
According to another royal butler, Grant Harrold—who served as Charles’s butler, including when Charles married Camilla in 2005—the monarch’s mood was much different after his second wedding on April 9 of that year.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 16 Mar. 2026
Four years later, Iran's monarch was himself was overthrown in the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
—Younes Mohammad, USA Today, 15 Mar. 2026
The show is also virtually devoid of romantic escapades, a good thing since Dumas’ novel is filled with a lot of sentimental claptrap about fighting for defenseless women’s honor or seducing virtuous maidens or going to war due to the physical beauty of a monarch.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
Tuberculosis, the bacteria often associated with the deaths of Victorian-era monarchs, was recently contracted by more than 200 high school students in San Francisco.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for monarch
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Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 16 Mar. 2026
Four years later, Iran's monarch was himself was overthrown in the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
—Younes Mohammad, USA Today, 15 Mar. 2026
The show is also virtually devoid of romantic escapades, a good thing since Dumas’ novel is filled with a lot of sentimental claptrap about fighting for defenseless women’s honor or seducing virtuous maidens or going to war due to the physical beauty of a monarch.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
Tuberculosis, the bacteria often associated with the deaths of Victorian-era monarchs, was recently contracted by more than 200 high school students in San Francisco.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for monarch
Cite this Entry
“Monarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarch. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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