Meaning & use
circlet
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Meanings
nouncountableliterary
A thin ring or band, often of metal or flowers, worn around the head as an ornament or a simple crown.
Grammar: Usually describes a headpiece and is often followed by of: a circlet of gold.
Patterns
- a circlet of something
The queen wore a slim silver circlet instead of a heavy crown.
The bride's hair was held by a circlet of white roses.
A golden circlet gleamed on the knight's brow.
nouncountablerare
Any small ring or round band, such as a piece of jewelry worn on an arm or finger.
Grammar: A broader, rarer use; the context is nearly always jewelry or decoration.
A tiny circlet of gold marked her wrist.
The tree trunk was wrapped with a circlet of ribbon.
He found a circlet of braided grass in the meadow.
Word forms
| plural | circlets |
|---|
Common combinations
- a golden circlet
- A golden circlet rested on her dark hair.
- a circlet of flowers
- The children wove a circlet of flowers for the festival.
- wear a circlet
- Elf characters in fantasy films often wear a circlet.
- silver circlet
- The prince accepted the silver circlet with a bow.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coronet
- A coronet is a small crown worn by nobles below the rank of king or queen, while a circlet can be plain and has no rank attached.
- tiara
- A tiara is a decorated, often jeweled, half-circle worn on formal occasions, and is not a full band around the head.
- diadem
- Diadem is a formal word for a jeweled crown or headband and suggests more splendor than circlet.
- wreath
- A wreath is made of leaves or flowers, whereas a circlet is usually metal, though it can be made of flowers.
Word family
Commonly confused: circlet or circuit?
circlet vs circuit
A circuit is a closed path, such as an electric loop or a racing track. A circlet is a small decorative ring.
Practice
In the fairy tale, the young princess wore a simple gold ___ in her hair rather than a heavy crown.
Choose one answer.
A circlet is a slim band worn on the head. Circuit, cirrus and circus are real words but none is a headpiece.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “circlet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.