highness

/ˈhaɪnəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhaɪnəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhī-nəs/ (ame, mw)

highness — noun

1. a polite form of address or reference for a prince, princess, king, or queen, al

1.名詞C1
釋義

a polite form of address or reference for a prince, princess, king, or queen, almost always coming after a word like Your, His, or Her.

例句

The waiter bowed and asked, "Would Your Highness like more tea?"

direct address: 'Your Highness' to a royal person

Reporters were told that Her Royal Highness would arrive at the hospital by noon.

third-person reference: 'Her Royal Highness'

同義詞
  • Majesty

    reserved for a reigning king or queen, not lesser royals

  • Excellency

    for high officials or ambassadors, not royalty

文法句型

Your/His/Her (Royal) Highness

用法筆記

Almost never stands alone; it follows a possessive such as Your, His, or Her, and often adds Royal in between for senior members of a royal family.

常見錯誤

❌Hello, Highness, please sit down.
✅Hello, Your Highness, please sit down.
💡the title needs a possessive like Your before it.
❌The king's highness was tired.
✅His Highness was tired.
💡use it as a title, not as a thing the king possesses.

2. the condition of being tall, raised far above the ground, or great in degree, us

2.名詞C2
釋義

the condition of being tall, raised far above the ground, or great in degree, used as a noun form of the word high.

例句

Climbers spoke about the sheer highness of the cliff above the frozen lake.

the highness of [a physical object]

The poem praised the highness of the ancient towers against the evening sky.

同義詞
  • height

    the ordinary, far more common word for this meaning

  • loftiness

    stresses an impressive or grand kind of height

反義詞
  • lowness

    the state of being close to the ground

文法句型

the highness of [noun]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this meaning is uncountable and describes physical or abstract height; in modern English 'height' is far more common for the same idea.

常見錯誤

❌The highness of the mountain scared the hikers.
✅The height of the mountain scared the hikers.
💡for physical height, everyday English uses 'height'.