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
Edward Nelson turned his rich baritone to entertainingly overplaying the viceroy turned mayor Don Andrès, pushing his arrogance to a point that once or twice successfully inspired a whit of pity.
—
Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
The choice of Offenbach’s loony comedy about a pair of starving Peruvian artists and their manipulation by a powerful philandering viceroy was the recommendation of mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard — who sings the title role with disarming comedic chops to rival her formidable pipes.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
He was given the Christian name Luis de Velasco in honor of the viceroy of New Spain.
—Álvaro Enrigue, The New York Review of Books, 28 Dec. 2023
The United Kingdom’s last viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten, is typically accused of accelerating the transfer of power so that the British would not be held responsible for the bloodbath that many expected to ensue once the new states of India and Pakistan were born.
—Nisid Hajari, Foreign Affairs, 28 June 2015
Will the Russian viceroy protect Hadji Murat’s family?
—Elif Batuman, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2023
His uncle Lord Mountbatten, a celebrated commander during World War II who later served as the last viceroy of India, overseeing its partition and transition to independence, was killed after a bomb exploded on his fishing boat off the coast of Ireland.
—BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2021
For example, the scarlet king snake mimics the venomous coral snake, while the viceroy butterfly mimics the monarch butterfly, which is poisonous.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 6 Mar. 2023
Mountbatten was the last viceroy of India.
—Peter Bergen, CNN, 25 Sep. 2022
Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
The choice of Offenbach’s loony comedy about a pair of starving Peruvian artists and their manipulation by a powerful philandering viceroy was the recommendation of mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard — who sings the title role with disarming comedic chops to rival her formidable pipes.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
He was given the Christian name Luis de Velasco in honor of the viceroy of New Spain.
—Álvaro Enrigue, The New York Review of Books, 28 Dec. 2023
The United Kingdom’s last viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten, is typically accused of accelerating the transfer of power so that the British would not be held responsible for the bloodbath that many expected to ensue once the new states of India and Pakistan were born.
—Nisid Hajari, Foreign Affairs, 28 June 2015
Will the Russian viceroy protect Hadji Murat’s family?
—Elif Batuman, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2023
His uncle Lord Mountbatten, a celebrated commander during World War II who later served as the last viceroy of India, overseeing its partition and transition to independence, was killed after a bomb exploded on his fishing boat off the coast of Ireland.
—BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2021
For example, the scarlet king snake mimics the venomous coral snake, while the viceroy butterfly mimics the monarch butterfly, which is poisonous.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 6 Mar. 2023
Mountbatten was the last viceroy of India.
—Peter Bergen, CNN, 25 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'viceroy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Viceroy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/viceroy. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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