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

King Charles Shouts Out Prince William in Wales After Son Took on Monarch's Former Title The British monarch and The Wire alum met at St. James’s to discuss the trust's ongoing work with young people and paving new ways to address youth violence in the U.K. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 12 July 2024

Outside the palace, home of the Swedish monarch, a group of Brazilian teenagers were watching a Royal Guards parade with horses and music. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 6 July 2024

Labour’s Keir Starmer became prime minister Friday morning after Rishi Sunak resigned in front of King Charles III and Starmer met him immediately after to ask for permission to form a government, a formality that was granted by the reigning monarch. —Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 5 July 2024

Starmer becomes the second prime minister Charles has appointed in his time as reigning monarch, after outgoing PM Rishi Sunak. —NBC News, 5 July 2024

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

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