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 Hovering in the background are the schemes and interests of a constellation of greater powers, including Gulf monarchies such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, as well as Turkey and Egypt. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026 The separation of the church started with the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026 The vote will determine the next prime minister and the makeup of the government, which will serve alongside a powerful monarchy that retains broad authority over strategic affairs. — Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026 Italy abolished its monarchy in 1946, voting to become a republic, according to the BBC. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 20 Sep. 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
  • Fully 88 percent of respondents expressed favorable attitudes toward democracy, while 67 percent held negative views of a government based on sharia.
    — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The island, one of Africa’s most stable democracies, experienced similar unrest in 1999, when a popular musician’s death in police custody sparked days of rioting.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of democracy
Noun
  • But Marxists who dreamed of a workers’ republic could not compete with the reformers in Congress who enacted such measures as a progressive income tax, antitrust legislation, and a ban on child labor.
    — Michael Kazin, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The bet is that people who see the working version of a republic, a free press, and a scientific community will want to build one at home.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of republic
Noun
  • The Iranian revolution, the North Korean dictatorship, the Palestinians held hostage by Hamas, the Lebanese held hostage by Hezbollah, the Taliban in Afganistan, The Chinese firewall, all of them share the same failure mode.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of dictatorship
Noun
  • The Crown Estate is an independent company established by Parliament to manage a vast portfolio of properties throughout the United Kingdom that is nominally owned by the sovereign during his lifetime but is operated for the benefit of taxpayers.
    — Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Only three African sovereigns hold investment grade ratings, according to a background note from the AU’s African Peer Review Mechanism (ARPM).
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of sovereign
Noun
  • At least 19 people have been killed, school classes have been canceled, and the disruption threatens the kingdom's ambitious plans to transform itself into a global hub for business, tourism and sports.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The framing of the war has also shifted, from a US conflict to the kingdom’s.
    — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of kingdom
Noun
  • According to state data, fewer than 1% of the more than 1,100 measles cases in the commonwealth are people who are fully vaccinated.
    — Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Months later, in July 2025, Shapiro announced Amazon would invest $20 billion in an AI buildout in Pennsylvania, the largest capital investment in the commonwealth’s history.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of commonwealth
Noun
  • Mohave County, where Bullhead City is located, has higher poverty and unemployment rates than the state and nation, with a lower per-capita income, according to Census and state unemployment data.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • As reported, De Beers and the government of the Republic of Botswana have tapped the Olympic gold medal athlete Letsile Tebogo to promote the African nation as a heartland of natural diamonds, and to mark its 60 years of independence.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 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 19 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about monarchy

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