rial

1 of 4

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 4

noun (2)

ri·​al

less common spelling of riyal

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

riyal

3 of 4

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 4

noun (4)

ri·​yal

less common spelling of rial

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

Examples of rial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In December and January, millions of people took to the streets to protest soaring inflation and the collapsing rial. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 3 July 2026

The economy is shrinking, and Iran’s currency, the rial, has fallen to a record low. — Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 18 June 2026

Noun

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

But the flow of dirhams and riyals doesn’t stop there. — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Persian, from Arabic riyāl riyal

Noun (3)

Arabic riyāl, from Spanish real real

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1930, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1856, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rial

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