royal

adjective roy·al \ ˈrȯi(-ə)l \

Updated on: 16 May 2018

1 a : of kingly ancestry

the royal family

b : of, relating to, or subject to the crown

the royal estates

c : being in the crown's service

Royal Air Force

2 a : suitable for royalty : magnificent

b : requiring no exertion : easy

there is no royal road to logic
—Justus Buchler

3 a : of superior size, magnitude, or quality

a patronage of royal dimensions
—J. H. Plumb

—often used as an intensive

a royal pain

b : established or chartered by the crown

4 : of, relating to, or being a part (such as a mast, sail, or yard) next above the topgallant

—

royally

play \ˈrȯi-ə-lē\ adverb

See royal defined for English-language learners

See royal defined for kids

Examples of royal in a Sentence

They received a royal welcome as they stepped off the plane.
the school superintendent received a royal welcome

Recent Examples of royal from the Web

According to royal experts, the queen prefers the country retreat to her palace in the capital.

— NBC News, "Fairy tale Windsor Castle to host Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding," 12 May 2018
Those two crazy kids will be tying the knot on May 19, but not before an onslaught of royal wedding programming, including this movie.

— ellen gray, Philly.com, "TV picks: 'Little Women,' 'Harry & Meghan,' 'The Goldbergs' and more," 11 May 2018
In Legoland Windsor Resort's new royal wedding exhibit, TMZ reported Thursday, the royal-to-be's Lego skin tone appears to be far too light.

— emily wang, Allure, "Meghan Markle's Legoland Figure Criticized for Light Skin Tone in Its Royal Wedding Exhibit," 11 May 2018
Members of the royal family—including Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Andrew, etc.—will begin to arrive at 11:20 A.M., and enter St. George’s Chapel via the Galilee Porch.

— katie nicholl, Vanities, "Royal Wedding: All the Date, Time, and Streaming Info a Royal-Obsessive Needs," 11 May 2018
Another complication stems from a royal commission Mr Turnbull reluctantly set up in December to look into misconduct at banks and financial-services firms.

— The Economist, "Flush with cash, Australia’s prime minister woos voters with tax cuts," 10 May 2018
Jean Carter had never bothered to come out for a royal appearance before.

— karla adam, chicagotribune.com, "How Meghan Markle's race could modernize the British monarchy: 'We need a bit of color in the royal family'," 10 May 2018
Kensington Palace Princess Charlotte has already got this big sister thing down (just like her royal wave).

— alex warner, Marie Claire, "Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis Already Share a Sweet Bond," 9 May 2018
The third requirement, that there be a municipal government, was realized by royal decree of the Canary Islanders in 1731.

— lynn brezosky, San Antonio Express-News, "SA300 Tricentennial guests showcase San Antonio’s global reach at Founder’s Day Gala," 2 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of royal

Middle English roial, from Anglo-French real, roial, from Latin regalis, from reg-, rex king; akin to Old Irish rī (genitive rīg) king, Sanskrit rājan, Latin regere to rule — more at right

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

royal Synonyms

royal

noun

1 : a person of royal blood

2 : a small sail on the royal mast immediately above the topgallant sail

3 : a stag of 8 years or more having antlers with at least 12 points

See royal defined for English-language learners

Examples of royal in a Sentence

magazine stories about the private lives of royals

Recent Examples of royal from the Web

Tshego’s mother, Carol Lengolo, who grew up in a village in South Africa, was raised to love the British royals.

— ellen barry, BostonGlobe.com, "Royal bride-to-be lifts young black Londoners," 12 May 2018
Any Hollywood child star will tell you that, and that's without the strict rules and regulations that come with being a royal.

— refinery29.com, "Prince Harry's Party Days: Gone, But Not Forgotten," 11 May 2018
But for Markle, like Kelly, relinquishing that career was a step on the path to becoming a royal.

— judith vonberg, CNN, "America's second 'princess': Why Meghan Markle is a modern Grace Kelly," 1 May 2018
The new royal will be fifth in line to the throne behind his older sister Charlotte and older brother George, who is third behind his father, Prince William, and grandfather, Prince Charles.

— jenny gross, WSJ, "Britain Welcomes Royal Baby Boy, Fifth in Line to the Throne," 23 Apr. 2018
The British royals are rarely out of the media glare, but the baby arrives at a time when the Windsors have particularly been in the limelight.

— author: michael holden, tom ball, Anchorage Daily News, "Kate, wife of UK’s Prince William, gives birth to third child," 23 Apr. 2018
Yet some worry that Markle may not fully realize the burden that comes with being a royal.

— CBS News, "The royal wedding: The big day and beyond," 21 Apr. 2018
During that visit, in October 2016, there was no sign a royal was around, aside from an SUV with plain-clothes police officers parked on the street.

— megan friedman, Town & Country, "Here's Why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Celebrated When Their Cover Was Blown," 18 Apr. 2018
Other flashpoints include the cancellation of a photo exhibition on political prisoners, and prison sentences for rappers over lyrics deemed insulting to the Spanish royals.

— barry hatton, The Christian Science Monitor, "Spanish booksellers deploy 'Don Quixote' in free speech battle," 27 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of royal

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

ROYAL Defined for English Language Learners

royal

adjective

: of or relating to a king or queen
Royal —used in names of organizations that are supported by or that serve a king or queen
: suitable for a king or queen : elaborate or impressive