a form of government in which supreme authority is vested in a single and usually hereditary figure, such as a king, and whose powers can vary from those of an absolute despot to those of a figurehead a country reigned over by a king, prince, or other monarch
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
mon•ar•chy /ˈmɑnɚki/USA pronunciation
n., pl. -chies.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Government a government or state in which the supreme power is held by a monarch:[countable]The three monarchies joined together to form one kingdom.
- Government the fact or state of being a monarchy:[uncountable]Some consider monarchy to be the best form of government.
mon•ar•chy
(mon′ər kē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -chies.
- Governmenta state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch. Cf. absolute monarchy, limited monarchy.
- Governmentsupreme power or sovereignty held by a single person.
- Greek monarchía. See monarch, -y3
- Late Latin monarchia
- Middle English monarchie 1300–50
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See kingdom.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'monarchy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
-archy
- Andrássy
- Archy
- Austria
- Austria-Hungary
- Burgundy
- Central African Republic
- Charles I
- Charles XI
- Coldstream Guards
- Crown
- Deak
- Dual Monarchy
- England
- Ethiopia
- Ferdinand II
- Fifth Monarchy Men
- France
- French Revolution
- Greece
- Haakon IV
- Hungary
- Iran
- Ireton
- Juan Carlos
- Kalmar
- Kuwait
- Lesotho
- Libya
- Louis XI
- Louis XIV
- Malaysia
- Marie Antoinette
- Monarchianism
- Nepal
- Norway
- Ostrogoth
- Pergamum
- Portugal
- Republican Party
- Restoration
- Rurik
- Salic law
- Savoy
- Soviet Union
- Theodoric
- Umberto II
- Victoria
- Visigoth
- Whig