admiral

IPA/ˈædmərəl/
KK[ˈædmɚəl]IPA/ˈædmərəl/

admiral — noun

  • admiralsingular
  • admiralsplural

1. a top-ranking naval officer who commands a fleet of warships, sitting near the h

1.nounC1
Definition

a top-ranking naval officer who commands a fleet of warships, sitting near the highest level in the navy and usually wearing four stars on the uniform.

Example

Admiral Chen saluted the crew before stepping onto the warship.

title use: Admiral + surname

The admiral ordered the fleet to sail north at dawn.

subject of command verbs: order, direct, command

Common collocations
  • promoted to admiral
  • rear admiral
  • vice admiral
  • fleet admiral
  • retired admiral
Synonyms
  • commander

    broader term for any officer in charge; not tied to a specific rank

  • flag officer

    formal umbrella term for senior naval officers including admirals and vice admirals

  • naval chief

    informal; describes role rather than precise rank

Antonyms
  • seaman

    lowest enlisted rank in the navy, opposite end of the hierarchy

  • recruit

    newly enlisted member with no rank yet

Grammar Patterns

Admiral + surname (as title)

Usage Note

Used as a title before the surname (Admiral Nelson) and capitalised in that role; lower-case when used as a common noun (the admiral spoke). Subject is human and almost always tied to the navy or coast guard, not the army or air force.

Common Mistakes

The army admiral led the troops into battle.
The army general led the troops into battle.
admirals belong to the navy; the equivalent rank in the army is general.
I met admiral Chen yesterday.
I met Admiral Chen yesterday.
capitalise the title when it sits directly before a name.

Word family

  • admiralty
    nounC2
  • rear admiral
    nounC2
  • vice admiral
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name people in charge, but they sit in different services and at different levels. An 'admiral' is specifically navy and is one of the most senior ranks, leading whole fleets. A 'captain' in the navy is much lower — they command a single ship and report up to admirals. 'Commander' is the broadest of the four: in everyday English it just means whoever is leading a group, while in the navy it is a mid-level officer rank below captain. 'General' is the army or air-force counterpart of admiral; you would never use it for a navy officer. So you might say 'Admiral Chen led the Pacific fleet, and Captain Liu commanded her flagship,' but never 'General Chen led the fleet.'

admiral ↗commander ↗captain ↗general ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • admiral of the fleet
  • rear admiral
  • vice admiral
  • admiral's flag
  • admiral's orders

Phrases

  • serve under an admiral
  • promoted to admiral
  • retired admiral

Prepositions

  • under an admiral
  • to admiral (promoted to)

Etymology

ArabicOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Borrowed into English in the Middle Ages from Old French 'amiral', which itself came from the Arabic phrase 'amir-al-bahr', meaning 'commander of the sea'. Early English forms had no 'd', and the spelling 'admiral' grew under the influence of Latin 'admirari' ('to wonder at'), even though that Latin verb is unrelated in meaning. The Arabic root 'amir' (prince, commander) is the same root behind English 'emir'.