- appropriate to a king; majestic
- royal
- poetic or archaic in a manner appropriate to a king
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
king•ly
(king′lē),USA pronunciation adj., -li•er, -li•est, adv.
adj.
adv.
king′li•ness, n.
adj.
- Governmentstately or splendid, as resembling, suggesting, or befitting a king;
regal:He strode into the room with a kingly air. - Governmentpertaining or proper to a king:kingly power.
- Governmenthaving the rank of king.
- Governmentconsisting of kings or others of royal rank:kingly personages.
adv.
- Governmentin the manner of a king;
regally.
- 1350–1400; Middle English; see king, -ly
- 1. 2. princely, sovereign, majestic, august, magnificent, exalted, grand. Kingly, regal, royal refer to that which is closely associated with a king, or is suitable for one. What is kingly may either belong to a king, or be befitting, worthy of, or like a king:a kingly presence, appearance, graciousness.Regal is esp. applied to the office of kingship or the outward manifestations of grandeur and majesty:regal authority, bearing, splendor, munificence.Royal is applied esp. to what pertains to or is associated with the person of a monarch:the royal family, word, robes, salute; a royal residence.
- 1. 2. lowly.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
kingly /ˈkɪŋlɪ/ adj ( -lier, -liest)
king /kɪŋ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
king•ship, n. [uncountable]]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Governmenta male sovereign who usually has inherited the position from his parents:the king of Sweden.[used as a title]King Henry VIII ruled England in the 16th century.
- a person or thing best in its class:The king of the jungle is supposed to be the lion.
- Gamesa playing card with a picture of a king.
- Chessthe chief chess piece of each color, whose capture is the object of the game.
- Chessa checker piece that has been moved entirely across the board and has been crowned, thus allowing it to be moved in any direction.
king•ship, n. [uncountable]]
king
(king),USA pronunciation n.
v.t.
v.i.
adj.
king′less, adj.
king′less•ness, n.
king′like′, adj.
King (king),USA pronunciation n.William Rufus De•Vane
(də vān′),USA pronunciation 1786–1853, vice president of the U.S. 1853.
- Governmenta male sovereign or monarch;
a man who holds by life tenure, and usually by hereditary right, the chief authority over a country and people. - Religion(cap.) God or Christ.
- a person or thing preeminent in its class:a king of actors.
- Gamesa playing card bearing a picture of a king.
- Chessthe chief piece of each color, whose checkmating is the object of the game;
moved one square at a time in any direction. - Chessa piece that has been moved entirely across the board and has been crowned, thus allowing it to be moved in any direction.
- Insects[Entomol.]a fertile male termite.
- Telecommunicationsa word formerly used in communications to represent the letter K.
v.t.
- Governmentto make a king of;
cause to be or become a king;
crown. - Informal Termsto design or make (a product) king-size:The tobacco company is going to king its cigarettes.
v.i.
- Governmentto reign as king.
- king it, to play the king;
behave in an imperious or pretentious manner:He kinged it over all the other kids on the block.
adj.
- Informal Termsking-size.
- bef. 900; Middle English; Old English cyng, cyni(n)g; cognate with German König, Dutch koning, Old Norse konungr, Swedish konung, Danish konge. See kin, -ing3
king′less•ness, n.
king′like′, adj.
King (king),USA pronunciation n.
- Biographical Clarence, 1842–1901, U.S. geologist and cartographer.
- Biographical Ernest Joseph, 1878–1956, U.S. naval officer.
- Biographical Martin Luther, Jr., 1929–68, U.S. Baptist minister: civil-rights leader; Nobel peace prize 1964.
- Biographical Richard, 1825–85, U.S. rancher and steamboat operator.
- Biographical Riley B. ("B.B.''), born 1925, U.S. blues singer and guitarist.
- Biographical Rufus, 1755–1827, U.S. political leader and statesman.
- Biographical Stephen, born 1947, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
- Biographical William Lyon Mackenzie, 1874–1950, Canadian statesman: prime minister 1921–26, 1926–30, 1935–48.
'kingly' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):