royal

adjective

roy·al | \ ˈrȯi(-ə)l

Definition of royal

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

2a : suitable for royalty : magnificent

b : requiring no exertion : easy there is no royal road to logic— Justus Buchler

3a : 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

royal

noun

Definition of royal (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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Examples of royal in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Noun

magazine stories about the private lives of royals

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

In fact, Her Majesty would spend months apart from her infant son because of travel and royal obligations, which was made even more complicated by the fact that Philip (then an officer in the Royal Navy) was stationed in Malta in the late 1940s. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas Message Features a Rare Prince Charles Photo," 25 Dec. 2018 The duchess also wore the piece during her first royal tour with Prince Harry, while the pair were visiting Sydney in Australia. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle Just Wore Princess Diana's Bracelet & We Almost Missed It," 16 Jan. 2019 As the royal babe's due date approaches, Meghan is overseeing the renovations on their home at Frogmore, which could cost up to £5 million (roughly $6.4 million) to complete. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Prefer Cotswolds Farmhouse To Nottingham Cottage," 10 Jan. 2019 For her and Prince Harry's royal tour of Ireland in 2018, the Duchess wore a pair of stunning yellow drop earrings from Birks at a reception. — Marina Liao, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle's Top 5 Favorite Jewelry Brands of All Time," 2 Jan. 2019 The story is about a concubine of Grenada’s royal court, Fatima, and her friend Hassan, the court’s cartographer. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "All the science fiction and fantasy books we’re looking forward to in 2019," 30 Dec. 2018 Meghan Markle's first royal tour of Australia and Oceania has been full of surprises — selfies, fashion, and even some homemade banana bread. — Devon Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Meghan Markle Gives First Royal Tour Speech in Fiji About College Education," 24 Oct. 2018 The government will also commit to reporting every year for the next five years on the progress of the royal commission's recommendations. — Trevor Marshallsea, Fox News, "PM formally apologizes to Australian child sex abuse victims," 22 Oct. 2018 Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's first international royal tour is officially underway, with the couple having landed in Sydney early Monday morning. — Emily Wang, Condé Nast Traveler, "Meghan Markle Is Pregnant (And Not Changing Her Royal Tour for Zika)," 15 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were visibly excited to be speaking with the tiny royal fans: The royals also took the time to watch the Young Company perform in Bristol Old Vic. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince Harry Asking for Parenting Advice Is the Sweetest Thing You'll Watch All Day," 1 Feb. 2019 Just as Saint-Tropez draws jetsetters each summer, chic Marrakshis and Casablancais still mimic the royals in August, descending on the under-the-radar surf town that’s quickly becoming the Montauk of Morocco. — Lane Nieset, Vogue, "After Marrakech, Go to Oualidia, the Montauk of Morocco," 30 Jan. 2019 The Central Intelligence Agency concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must have ordered Mr. Khashoggi’s killing, pointing to messages the young royal exchanged with a close adviser who is suspected of having led the operation. — WSJ, "Year of Living Dangerously With Friends and Foes," 17 Dec. 2018 The royals have released yet another unbearably adorable photo for the world to see. — Mekita Rivas, Teen Vogue, "Prince Charles 70th Birthday Photos Reunite Royal Family," 14 Nov. 2018 Because of his close ties to the Saudi royal, Kushner has purposely stayed out of the spotlight during the scandal. — Alex Ward, Vox, "Why Jared Kushner reportedly wants Trump to stand by Saudi Arabia," 18 Oct. 2018 Appointed in December, the royal had worked in the field with African Parks, which has boards in South Africa, Europe and the United States and counts the European Union and USAID among major donors. — Washington Post, "Backed by Prince Harry, conservation group expands in Africa," 7 July 2018 The queen, 92, has also been personally involved with Meghan's on-the-job training, bringing the new royal along on a day of engagement in the northwestern English city in Cheshire last month. — Maria Puente, USA TODAY, "Duchess Meghan dons yellow Brandon Maxwell dress as she and Harry meet Commonwealth youths," 5 July 2018 The notoriously haughty royal went through great pains to smuggle her jewels out of France during the Revolution, and they haven’t been seen in public for more than 200 years. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "WATCH: Pearls Belonging to Marie Antoinette, Unseen for 200 Years, to Be Auctioned off This Fall," 20 June 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.