monarchy

noun

mon·​ar·​chy ˈmä-nər-kē 

 also  -ˌnär-

plural monarchies

1

: undivided rule or absolute sovereignty by a single person

Saudi Arabia is governed by a monarchy.

2

: a nation or state having a monarchical government

Britain is a monarchy.

3

: a government having a hereditary chief of state with life tenure and powers varying from nominal to absolute

The country's hereditary monarchy survived for centuries.

Examples of monarchy in a Sentence

the French monarchy of the 18th century

Recent Examples on the Web

The monarchy banned the Muslim Brotherhood a decade ago but officially licensed a splinter group and continued to tolerate the Islamic Action Front while restricting some its activities. —Omar Akour, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025

That the United States is a democracy based on the rule of law and not a monarchy is part of its founding premise. —Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2025

American academic Paul Chambers is currently in custody in Thailand for allegedly insulting the country’s monarchy, a crime punishable by years in prison in the Southeast Asian country. —Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025

Earlier this month, Mr. Oli rejected the idea of returning to a monarchy and said that the former king could instead run in the next elections in 2027, according to Nepali media. —Bhadra Sharma, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing monarchy

• constitutional monarchy

Kids Definition

monarchy

noun

mon·​ar·​chy ˈmän-ər-kē 

plural monarchies

1

: total rule by one person

2

: a nation or country ruled by a monarch

3

: a form of government having a chief of state who inherits the position, rules for life, and holds powers varying from very limited to total