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regnant

adjective
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reg·​nant | \ ˈreg-nənt How to pronounce regnant (audio) \

Definition of regnant

1 : exercising rule : reigning
2a : having the chief power : dominant
b : of common or widespread occurrence
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Did You Know?

The etymology of regnant is fairly straightforward: English speakers borrowed the word sometime around 1600 from Latin. Regnant is derived from the Latin verb regnare, meaning "to reign." Regnare, in turn, traces back to the noun regnum, meaning "reign," which derives from rex, the Latin word for "king." Other descendants of regnum include interregnum ("a period between two successive reigns or regimes"), regnal ("of or relating to a king or his reign"), and even reign itself.

Examples of regnant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web According to the Telegraph’s Dalya Alberge, the cloth likely landed in Bacton thanks to the village’s association with Blanche Parry, one of the Tudor regnant’s longtime attendants. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "See Scrap of Cloth Believed to Be From Elizabeth I’s Only Surviving Dress," 15 Aug. 2019 Contrast this with the regnant politics of today, on left and right. — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, "Reagan and Race," 1 Aug. 2019 Individuals turn into data, and data become regnant. — Henry A. Kissinger, The Atlantic, "How the Enlightenment Ends," 15 May 2018 Berlin’s engrossing book offers a corrective to the regnant great man theory of technological progress, of which the virtuosic Steve Jobs is exhibit A. — Chronicle Staff Report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Best of 2017: 100 recommended books," 20 Dec. 2017 The regnant medium in the pop and R&B markets until musicians copped to Sinatra, Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles’ jive and fiddled with concepts and such, the single devolved into a means to an end during the High Reagan era. — Alfred Soto, Billboard, "Did America Love 'Monkey,' Or Did It Just Love George Michael?," 26 Oct. 2017 Misguided proposals for Making the United Kingdom Great Again should be opposed, but their mental and material roots — the regnant forces of reaction — need to be understood. — Isaac Chotiner, New York Times, "The Novels Explaining Britain’s Path From the Raj to Brexit," 8 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'regnant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of regnant

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for regnant

Latin regnant-, regnans, present participle of regnare to reign, from regnum

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Time Traveler for regnant

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The first known use of regnant was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Regnant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regnant. Accessed 25 Feb. 2020.

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