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
Justus Buchler3
a
: of superior size, magnitude, or quality
a patronage of royal dimensions—J. H. Plumb
—often used as an intensiveJ. H. Plumba 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
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
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
Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
Ahead of her 2018 royal wedding with Prince Harry, the duchess previously attended New York Fashion Week and Toronto Fashion Week.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Vivienne Walt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
In the middle of the mountains of Monterrey, there is a Colombia chiquita, a Colombia regia, or royal.
—Karla Gachet, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for royal
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Although Meghan, 44, has regularly appeared on red carpets since stepping back from royal life with Prince Harry, 40, in 2020, a fashion week appearance had remained elusive—until now.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
Ahead of her 2018 royal wedding with Prince Harry, the duchess previously attended New York Fashion Week and Toronto Fashion Week.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
Amid the churn in Europe and globally, with trenchant nationalism on the rise, and a war raging in Ukraine just 1,200 miles from the palace, many might say that having a hereditary royal as their head of state offers some reassuring continuity, acting as a counterweight to political upheaval.
—Vivienne Walt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
In the middle of the mountains of Monterrey, there is a Colombia chiquita, a Colombia regia, or royal.
—Karla Gachet, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for royal
Cite this Entry
“Royal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/royal. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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