monarch

noun

mon·​arch ˈmä-nərk 

-ˌnärk

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

3

: monarch butterfly

monarchal

mə-ˈnär-kəl 

mä-

adjective

or monarchial

mə-ˈnär-kē-əl 

mä-

Synonyms of monarch

• ruler
• sovereign
• emperor

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

On the above occasion in 1982, the late monarch met with Pope John Paul II at Buckingham Palace during his first visit to the United Kingdom. — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2026

The king is quite private about his cancer battle, but royal expert Tom Sykes recently discussed Charles’ health after the monarch’s visit to Aberfan in Wales in October 2026. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 5 Nov. 2026

However, conservationists are pushing ahead with new ways to protect the dwindling monarch population. — ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026

Following Barbados’ removal of the British monarch as head of state in 2021, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda and others have reconsidered their own constitutional arrangements. — Brooke N. Newman, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing monarch

• monarch butterfly

Rhymes for monarch

• ballpark
• benchmark
• birthmark
• daymark
• earmark
• embark
• hallmark
• landmark
• postmark
• remark
• skylark
• tetrarch

Kids 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

3

: monarch butterfly

monarchal

mə-ˈnär-kəl 

mä-

adjective

or monarchial

-kē-əl