as in monarchy
a system of government in which there is only one ruler whose power is unlimited
In the past, monarchism was the world's most common system of government.
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Recent Examples of monarchism
But for anyone outside the British elite, the constitutional monarchism that emerged after the civil wars did not look much like democracy or true liberty.
—
Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
And the Decemberists tried to overthrow the Tsar and insist on having some of the more basic aspects of representative constitutional monarchism introduced into Russia.
—CBS News, 7 Dec. 2022
King Charles can take strength from the inherent monarchism of the British people, which grew even stronger in the last two decades of Elizabeth’s reign.
—Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2022
Yet, paradoxically, the regular waves of anti-monarchism were held at bay largely by the sheer, irrefutable fact of her continued existence.
—Vulture, 8 Sep. 2022
For in the dozen or so countries that make up South-East Asia, liberal democracy has long struggled in the face of authoritarianism, bolstered by monarchism, nationalism and ethnic chauvinism.
—The Economist, 24 May 2018
But a slave mentality remains deeply ingrained in Russian minds, along with a latent monarchism and paternalism.
—Nikita Petrov, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
The tsarist and Soviet styles collide; monarchism and elitism are imposed on the industrial, the everyday.
—Sophie Pinkham, New Republic, 3 July 2017
Now, Morocco and Jordan have toned down reformism and presented a new bottom line to their societies and the world: Ruling monarchism is here to stay.
—Sean Yom, Washington Post, 16 May 2017
Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024
And the Decemberists tried to overthrow the Tsar and insist on having some of the more basic aspects of representative constitutional monarchism introduced into Russia.
—CBS News, 7 Dec. 2022
King Charles can take strength from the inherent monarchism of the British people, which grew even stronger in the last two decades of Elizabeth’s reign.
—Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2022
Yet, paradoxically, the regular waves of anti-monarchism were held at bay largely by the sheer, irrefutable fact of her continued existence.
—Vulture, 8 Sep. 2022
For in the dozen or so countries that make up South-East Asia, liberal democracy has long struggled in the face of authoritarianism, bolstered by monarchism, nationalism and ethnic chauvinism.
—The Economist, 24 May 2018
But a slave mentality remains deeply ingrained in Russian minds, along with a latent monarchism and paternalism.
—Nikita Petrov, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
The tsarist and Soviet styles collide; monarchism and elitism are imposed on the industrial, the everyday.
—Sophie Pinkham, New Republic, 3 July 2017
Now, Morocco and Jordan have toned down reformism and presented a new bottom line to their societies and the world: Ruling monarchism is here to stay.
—Sean Yom, Washington Post, 16 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monarchism
Noun
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Most of the territory felt a strong desire to maintain close connection to the monarchy and British Empire, but otherwise the colonies of British North America were far apart from one another geographically and psychologically.—
Dónal Gill,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
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This is doing real damage to the monarchy.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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These cars are sensational, liberating Honda’s engineering excellence from the tyranny of front-wheel drive.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
28 Oct. 2025
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Andrew Garfield leads the feature that is now in production, portraying the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Minister Kabawat is a member of the Christian minority and a longtime member of the opposition to the former dictatorship of Bashar Al-Assad that was defeated by Al-Shara in late 2024.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
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After the fall of Hungary’s Communist dictatorship, dozens of decommissioned monuments were sent to Budapest’s Memento Park, including the boots from an enormous statue of Stalin, which had been torn down by irate crowds.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monarchism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monarchism. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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