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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of monarchy
The past holds many examples of great change: regimes ending, monarchies becoming republics, whole civilizations vanishing, ways of managing relations between peoples and states swept aside, to be replaced by new ones.
—
Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
Societies instinctively gravitate toward monarchy or its equivalent.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2025
The real Carême cooked for the infamous French diplomat Talleyrand, a guy who managed to slither his way through the revolution, the reign of Napoleon, and the reinstatement of the monarchy.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 May 2025
Spying was an appurtenance of monarchy, and therefore incompatible with republican government.
—James Santel, The Atlantic, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for monarchy
Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
Societies instinctively gravitate toward monarchy or its equivalent.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2025
The real Carême cooked for the infamous French diplomat Talleyrand, a guy who managed to slither his way through the revolution, the reign of Napoleon, and the reinstatement of the monarchy.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 May 2025
Spying was an appurtenance of monarchy, and therefore incompatible with republican government.
—James Santel, The Atlantic, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for monarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monarchy
Noun
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But a slave mentality remains deeply ingrained in Russian minds, along with a latent monarchism and paternalism.—
Nikita Petrov,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Dec. 2017
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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
Noun
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With these forces united, Ukraine had a better chance of negotiating an outcome that protects its own interests as well as those of Europe and democracies elsewhere in the world.—
Eric Green,
Time,
30 Apr. 2025
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The group's latest initiative continues its campaign of peaceful resistance, using the symbolism of May Day—a historic day of worker solidarity—to spotlight broader concerns about democracy and rising authoritarianism.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The republic will still stand if ICE respects the state bench and state procedures.—
Tovia Smith,
NPR,
17 May 2025
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On Tuesday, the Russian republic of Buryatia declared a regional-level state of emergency on Tuesday and closed all access to the forests, state news agency RIA Novosti reported.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
14 May 2025
Noun
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For instance, during Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961, the head of intelligence, Johnny Abbes, was plucked from obscurity in Mexico and in 1958 began to lead the dictator’s repression machine.—
Erica Frantz,
The Conversation,
16 May 2025
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In the Soviet dictatorship, this was meant literally: engineers and senior managers in charge of color film production would be denounced, arrested, and executed during the Great Purges of 1937–1838.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
15 May 2025
Noun
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The law dictates that the Counsellor of State position is held by the sovereign's spouse and the first four people in the line of succession over the age of 21, which is how Beatrice holds the royal role.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
14 May 2025
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Wojtyła took the regnal name after his predecessor, Pope John Paul I, who passed away only a month into his reign as the sovereign of Vatican City.—
Gabriele Regalbuto,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Goldman Sachs in mid-April warned that Brent crude at $62 a barrel — its price forecast at the time — could more than double the kingdom’s 2024 budget deficit of $30.8 billion.—
Natasha Turak,
CNBC,
11 May 2025
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Having covered Alta Moda shows since 2012, Lever is both witness and visual chronicler of the most exciting haute couture weekend in the fashion kingdom.—
Bianca Salonga,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2025
Noun
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Many on the list, which was shared with NPR, were for environmental justice projects, including one grant that supported initiatives such as flood mitigation in southwest Virginia, a deep red part of the commonwealth where communities have been shaped by the coal industry's booms and busts.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2025
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Read told reporters outside the courthouse on Wednesday that the defense has used 11 of their 16 challenges, and the commonwealth has used 12 during jury selection, according to WCVB.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Co-directed by Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano, and Jennifer Wickham, the docu captures the Wet’suwet’en nation’s right to stewardship and sovereignty over their territories.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
20 May 2025
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Per capita pharmaceutical spending in the U.S. is 2.3 times larger than the spending levels in the average OECD nation.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monarchy. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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