viceroy

noun

vice·​roy ˈvīs-ˌrȯi 

1

: the governor of a country or province who rules as the representative of a king or sovereign

2

or viceroy butterfly : a showy North American nymphalid butterfly (Limenitis archippus) closely mimicking the monarch in coloration but smaller

Examples of viceroy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The king theoretically selects this viceroy, but in reality, they are chosen by the prime minister and rubber-stamped by the palace. —Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 2 May 2025

In fact, the very places that long supplied rubber, cotton, metal, and other goods to imperial viceroys now serve as dumping grounds for the modern descendants of some of those same powers. —Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025

And as the representative of Egypt’s most influential superpower ally, his interlocutors sometimes treated him like an affable viceroy. —Alan Cowell, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025

Decades later, Lord Curzon, then viceroy of India, had the good sense to restore it. —Ralph Leonard, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French vice-roi, from vice- + roi king, from Old French rei, roi, from Latin reg-, rex

First Known Use

1524, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

viceroy

noun

vice·​roy ˈvīs-ˌrȯi 

1

: the governor of a country or province who represents the sovereign

2

: a black and orange North American butterfly resembling but smaller than the monarch