monarchy

noun

Definition of monarchynext
1
as in monarchism
a system of government in which there is only one ruler whose power is unlimited Under a monarchy, the position of ruler is often passed down from parent to child.

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2
as in democracy
a group of people who live in a territory ruled by a single person The country was formerly a monarchy, but has now transitioned to a republic.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of monarchy Japan’s monarchy has for centuries maintained male-only succession, which is on-brand for a deeply patriarchal society where men dominate other spheres of life such as business and politics. — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 14 July 2026 It’s celebrated on July 14 because that’s the day Parisians stormed the Bastille fortress and prison in 1789, helping spark the French Revolution that overthrew the monarchy and sent King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, to the guillotine. — Eva Van Dam, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026 The six-week trial gained great attention in Norway and cast a shadow over the Norwegian monarchy, though Marius is not in the line of succession to the throne and does not conduct royal duties. — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026 Turkey is reportedly negotiating the resale of its unused S-400 air defense systems to a Persian Gulf Arab monarchy, a move that could pave the way for lifting US sanctions and Turkey's re-entry into the F-35 program. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for monarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monarchy
  1. monarchism
  2. democracy
  3. republic
  4. dictatorship
  5. sovereign
  6. kingdom
  7. commonwealth
  8. nation
Noun
  • But for anyone outside the British elite, the constitutional monarchism that emerged after the civil wars did not look much like democracy or true liberty.
    — Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
  • And the Decemberists tried to overthrow the Tsar and insist on having some of the more basic aspects of representative constitutional monarchism introduced into Russia.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 7 Dec. 2022
Definition of monarchism
Noun
  • So, democracy sometimes resembles kakistocracy, an actual word that means government by the least qualified.
    — George F. Will, Washington Post, 17 July 2026
  • As a result, another vital concern - Venezuela's return to democracy - has been put on hold.
    — John Otis, NPR, 16 July 2026
Definition of democracy
Noun
  • After Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Beregovsky and other academics from the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences were evacuated to the eastern republic of Bashkir.
    — Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
  • The war left the new republic with extensive debts shared unevenly between the states.
    — Donovan Fifield, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
Definition of republic
Noun
  • The 1978 World Cup edition was played in and won by an Argentina ruled by a military dictatorship that forcibly disappeared thousands of people.
    — Minky Worden, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • They were invaded in 1982 under orders from Argentina’s then-military dictatorship, triggering a 10-week war won by Britain.
    — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of dictatorship
Noun
  • The centuries-old ceremony sees the sovereign symbolically accept the keys to the city of Edinburgh and immediately return them for safekeeping.
    — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
  • This has seen both sovereigns and corporates raising billions of dollars in conventional bonds and sukuk over recent months.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Definition of sovereign
Noun
  • Corey Hawkins as Polybus Polybus is another one of Penelope’s many suitors who scheme to take her hand and kingdoms for themselves.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • Iran launched attacks on Saudi Arabia for the first time in about three months, according to two people familiar with the matter, triggering early warning alarms in Al-Kharj, east of the capital Riyadh, and at Yanbu on the kingdom's Red Sea coast.
    — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 18 July 2026
Definition of kingdom
Noun
  • Her campaign has centered on supporting farmers, expanding Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry, and portraying Shapiro as a career politician more focused on a future White House bid than on leading the commonwealth.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 14 July 2026
  • Virginia’s overall power grid is strained, due in part to the commonwealth’s embrace of data centers.
    — Scott Cohn, CNBC, 9 July 2026
Definition of commonwealth
Noun
  • Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies, alongside international law enforcement partners and host nation authorities, are all contributing to the security architecture for this tournament.
    — Adam Leventhal, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • Iran attacked a power generation and water desalination plant in Kuwait, the Gulf nation said on Saturday.
    — Monica Haider, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Definition of nation

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Cite this Entry

“Monarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monarchy. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on monarchy

Nglish: Translation of monarchy for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about monarchy

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