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adjective

royal

ROY-uhl
adjective
1
Belonging to, or connected with, a king, queen, or their family.
"The royal family waved from the palace balcony."
"She was given a royal welcome when she arrived."
2
Grand, dignified, or splendid, in a way that recalls a monarch.
"They put on a royal feast to celebrate the wedding."
"He gave a royal performance in the final match."
noun
1
A member of a royal family.
"Several European royals attended the state funeral."
"The tabloids love photographing the young royals on holiday."

How to Use Royal

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo do with kings and queens, or grand and impressive in the way royalty is.

Common mistake

Don't mix up with "loyal" (faithful) — they're spelled similarly but mean very different things.

Easily confused with
Common pairings
royal family royal wedding royal welcome

Word Forms

royaler comparative, royaller comparative, royals plural, Royals plural, Royals plural, Royals plural, Royals plural, royalest superlative, royallest superlative

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The _____ family waved from the palace balcony.

Etymology

From Old French roial, itself from Latin rēgālis, "of a king" — the same Latin root that gives us "regal" and "real" (as in the old Spanish coin).

Related Words

Rhymes for royal

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial