monarch

noun

mon·​arch ˈmä-nərk 

-ˌnärk

1

: a person who reigns over a kingdom or empire: such as

a

: a sovereign ruler

b

: a constitutional (see constitutional entry 1 sense 3) king or queen

2

: one that holds preeminent position or power

cotton, monarch of the textile world

—Wall Street Journal

3

: monarch butterfly

monarchal

mə-ˈnär-kəl 

mä-

adjective

or monarchial

mə-ˈnär-kē-əl 

mä-

Synonyms

• autocrat
• potentate
• ruler
• sovereign
• sovran

Examples of monarch in a Sentence

a new history of French monarchs

the ruling monarch of Britain at that time was Queen Elizabeth I

Recent Examples on the Web

The intense, fiery painting by Jonathan Yeo, was unveiled at Buckingham Palace and was commissioned in 2020 to commemorate the monarch marking 50 years as a member of The Draper's Company in 2022. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 14 May 2024

The glint from a single tear sparkles against the overhead lights that bathe the battlefield in London's Blue Sky Studios — a life-sized black-and-green chess board where two monarchs seek to topple each other. —EW.com, 14 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin monarcha, from Greek monarchos, from mon- + -archos -arch

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing monarch

• monarch butterfly

Kids Definition

monarch

noun

mon·​arch ˈmän-ərk 

-ˌärk

1

: a person who reigns over a kingdom or empire: as

a

: a ruler who has total power

absolute monarch

b

: someone who acts primarily as chief of state and who has only limited powers

constitutional monarch

2

: someone or something like a monarch

the oak is the monarch of the forest

3

: monarch butterfly

monarchal

mə-ˈnär-kəl 

mä-

adjective

or monarchial

-kē-əl