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 standoff encapsulates many of Thailand’s long-running political fissures: Shinawatra’s family has dominated its politics for decades, but has faced opposition from its powerful military, courts, and groups tied to the monarchy. —Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 1 July 2025

The Gulf Cooperation Council was formed in 1981 as an alliance of the Gulf Arab monarchies in response to growing regional instability, including revolutionary Iran and the Iran-Iraq War. —Dina Esfandiary, Time, 1 July 2025

The increase of more than 53% came as the monarchy reported record offshore wind farm profits to the Crown Estate, which is a vast royal collection of land and property across the United Kingdom. —Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 1 July 2025

Such ornate objects signify the power and legitimacy of rulers in modern-day Netherlands and Thailand, but have been practiced across monarchies throughout time. —Madison Dapcevich, Discover Magazine, 30 June 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