regency

1 of 2

noun

re·​gen·​cy ˈrē-jən(t)-sē 

plural regencies

1

: the office, jurisdiction, or government of a regent or body of regents

2

: a body of regents

3

: the period of rule of a regent or body of regents

Regency

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the styles of George IV's regency as Prince of Wales during the period 1811–20

Did you know?

When Was the regency Period?

In Britain, the years from the time when George III was declared insane until his death (1811–1820) are known as the Regency period, since in these years his son, the future George IV, served as Prince Regent, or acting monarch. (Sometimes the term covers the period up to the end of George IV's own reign in 1830.) The Regency is remembered for its elegant architecture and fashions, its literature (especially the works of Jane Austen), and its politics. Today hotels, furniture, and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic carry the name "Regency" to identify with the period's style, and hundreds of modern romance novels—called simply "Regencies"—have been set in the period.

Examples of regency in a Sentence

Noun

The people supported the regency.

Peace was restored during the regency.

Adjective

an example of Regency furniture

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Rescuers were still searching for villagers feared buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake across six regencies on Flores, a predominantly Catholic island in Muslim-majority Indonesia. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026

Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka, a regency in East Nusa Tenggara, said a number of buildings were damaged by the strong shaking and panicked people ran to higher ground. — Yacob Herin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026

This story is told in two timelines, with dual POV, in the present and thirteen years ago during the filming process of the first film, which gives a great look into what filming a regency era movie can be like. — Haruka Iwasaki, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026

What makes the appointment baffling is Mojtaba’s total lack of public profile, let alone the religious qualifications that once underpinned the idea of clerical leadership as God’s vice-regency on Earth. — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1811, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

regency

noun

re·​gen·​cy ˈrē-jən-sē 

plural regencies

1

: the office, authority, or government of a regent or body of regents

2

: the period of rule of a regent or body of regents