Regal Meaning
/ˈɹiːɡəl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf, pertaining to, or suitable for royalty.
adjBefitting a monarch.
Sentence Examples
The crowd parted as William walked through, his regal demeanor commanding respect.
The garden hosted a regal peacock.
Her Ladyship entered the parlor with a regal air.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The queen wore a ____ gown decorated with gold and jewels at the ceremony.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The queen carried herself with a ____ dignity that commanded respect from everyone present.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English regal, from Old French regal (“regal, royal”), from Latin rēgālis (“royal, kingly”), from rex (“king”); also regere (“to rule”). Doublet of royal (“belonging to a monarch”), real (“unit of currency”), ariary, and riyal. Cognate with Spanish real, Italian reale, Catalan reial.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"He made a scorn of his regal oath."
— 1649, J[ohn] Milton, ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC:
"The [Washington] Posts proprietor through those turbulent [Watergate] days, Katharine Graham, held a double place in Washington’s hierarchy: at once regal' Georgetown hostess and scrappy newshound, ready to hold the establishment to account."
— 2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
"Terrific movement from The Queen here. Gets behind the defender, goes one way then cuts back inside. Regal attacking play."
— 2018 July 14, Gary Lineker, Twitter, retrieved 15 Jul 2018:
"Kwarteng said he had urged Truss to “slow down” over reforms, but a cabinet minister told the FT that she felt “invincible, almost regal”."
— 2022 December 10, Harry Taylor, “Liz Truss and I ‘got carried away’ writing mini-budget, admits Kwasi Kwarteng”, in The Guardian:
"The children to whom I acted as cicerone almost screamed with glee as they saw the four-and-twenty blackbirds emerging from the pie-crust in front of the astonished King; and when the climax of the inconsequential story was reached, by way of the regal counting house and the “reginal” parlour, and a blackbird (presumably one of the four-and-twenty that had been temporarily immured in the pie) was seen about to revenge himself on the innocent nose of the guiltless laundry-maid, a veritable climax of enthusiasm was reached."
— c. 1898, Truth, column 2:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The queen wore a ____ gown decorated with gold and jewels at the ceremony.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The queen carried herself with a ____ dignity that commanded respect from everyone present.