rial

1 of 6

noun (1)

ri·​al rē-ˈȯl 

-ˈäl

variants or less commonly riyal

: the basic monetary unit of Iran, Oman, and Yemen see Money Table

rial

2 of 6

noun (2)

ri·​al

less common spelling of riyal

: the basic monetary unit of Qatar and Saudi Arabia see Money Table

riyal

3 of 6

noun (3)

ri·​yal rē-ˈyäl 

-ˈyal

variants or less commonly rial

: the basic monetary unit of Qatar and Saudi Arabia see Money Table

riyal

4 of 6

noun (4)

ri·​yal

less common spelling of rial

: the basic monetary unit of Iran, Oman, and Yemen see Money Table

ryal

5 of 6

noun (5)

ry·​al

variants or less commonly rial

ˈrī(ə)l 

plural -s

1

: rose noble

2

: one of two Scottish coins:

a

: a gold coin equivalent to 60 shillings or 3 pounds issued by Mary Queen of Scots (16th century)

b

: a silver coin worth 30 shillings issued by Mary and James VI (16th and 17th centuries)

3

: a monetary unit of Zanzibar used until 1908 and equal to 136 pysa

ryal

6 of 6

variant spelling of real:4

Examples of rial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The rial’s devaluation will have the effect of making imports more expensive and Iranian exports cheaper. — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Further disruption could weaken the rial, push inflation toward triple digits, and deepen an economic contraction currently estimated at 5%, a former Iranian central bank adviser told CNBC. — semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Noun

The transfer freeze comes as the club’s owner, Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), moves to address a financial crisis at the club, whose debts now exceed 800 million riyals ($213 million), according to Arriyadiyah. — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 30 July 2026

In 2022, when the games were hosted in Qatar, the most expensive general sale tickets for the final match were 5,850 Qatari riyals, or $1,607, a 46% increase from the $1,100 price for the equivalent match in 2018. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 2 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Persian, from Arabic riyāl riyal

Noun (3)

Arabic riyāl, from Spanish real real

Noun (5)

Middle English, from ryal, rial royal

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1930, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1856, in the meaning defined above

Noun (5)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rial

• denial
• mistrial
• posttrial
• pretrial
• retrial
• dial
• thiol
• trial
• vial
• sensorial