monarchy

/ˈmɒnəki/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmɑːnərki/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmä-nər-kē also -ˌnär-/ (ame, mw)

monarchy — noun

  • monarchysingular
  • monarchiesplural

1. A state whose official ruler comes from a royal family, even if elected leaders

1.名詞B2
釋義

A state whose official ruler comes from a royal family, even if elected leaders handle most government decisions.

例句

Spain is a monarchy, but voters choose the parliament and prime minister.

contrast: monarchy with elected parliament

Lina moved from a republic to a monarchy when her father worked in Jordan.

同義詞
  • kingdom

    close when a king rules the country, but monarchy also covers countries headed by queens

  • realm

    broader and often more literary; it can refer to a king's or queen's territory without focusing on the political structure

反義詞
  • republic

    a country whose head of state is not a king or queen by birth

文法句型

[noun] as subject

be a monarchy

remain a monarchy

用法筆記

Use this sense for the country itself. Distinguish it from sense 2, which names the political institution rather than the state.

常見錯誤

❌Japan has a monarchy system.
✅Japan is a monarchy.
💡Use this sense to classify a country, not to name the system.

2. A political system in which the head of state is a hereditary royal ruler, usual

2.名詞B2
釋義

A political system in which the head of state is a hereditary royal ruler, usually from one family line.

例句

After the war, the new constitution kept the monarchy but limited the king's powers.

collocation: keep the monarchy

In class, Tara debated whether monarchy still fits a modern democracy.

同義詞
  • hereditary rule

    broader term for power passed through a family line; monarchy specifically involves a king or queen

  • royal rule

    plain-language phrase that stresses rule by a royal family rather than by elected leaders

反義詞
  • republican government

    a political system without a hereditary monarch as head of state

  • republicanism

    the belief that a country should be organized as a republic instead of a monarchy

文法句型

[noun] as subject

support the monarchy

end the monarchy

用法筆記

Often appears in debates about whether a country should keep, limit, or abolish royal power. Unlike sense 1, it does not refer to the country as a place.

常見錯誤

❌The monarchy elected a new queen last year.
✅The monarchy passed the crown to the new queen last year.
💡In a monarchy, the ruler usually inherits the position rather than winning an election.