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 3) 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

• autocrat
• potentate
• ruler
• sovereign
• sovran

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

Corruption might be business as usual under monarchs, where the very purpose of a state is to serve its king. —Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams claimed to Fox News Digital that Prince Harry’s pleas to reconcile with his family, while also airing dirty laundry, could undermine Charles’ leadership as a monarch who is battling cancer. —Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2025

After stepping off Air Force One, Trump was greeted by another monarch, the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 15 May 2025

Nothing compares to the pageantry of a papal election, not the coronation of a British monarch, a presidential inauguration or a Russian World War II military victory parade. —Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 15 May 2025

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