Meaning & use
constitutional monarch
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A king or queen whose powers are limited by a constitution and who usually reigns without governing.
Grammar: Countable: say a constitutional monarch or constitutional monarchs.
Patterns
- a constitutional monarch of a country
- serve as a constitutional monarch
- the role of a constitutional monarch
In Britain the constitutional monarch opens Parliament but does not decide the laws.
Spain and Sweden are both headed by a constitutional monarch.
A constitutional monarch must stay politically neutral in public.
Word forms
| plural | constitutional monarchs |
|---|
Common combinations
- a reigning constitutional monarch
- The reigning constitutional monarch has little day-to-day political power.
- a constitutional monarchy
- The country became a constitutional monarchy in the nineteenth century.
- the role of a constitutional monarch
- Her role as a constitutional monarch is mostly ceremonial.
- a figurehead constitutional monarch
- Critics call him a figurehead constitutional monarch with no real authority.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ceremonial head of state
- A broader phrase for a leader who represents the country but does not govern; it can include presidents as well as kings.
- limited monarch
- A less common term that stresses the legal limits on the ruler's power rather than the constitution itself.
Opposites
Word family
- constitutional monarchy noun
- The system of government in which a constitutional monarch reigns.
- monarchy noun
- Rule by a king or queen, or the state that has one.
- monarch noun
- A king, queen, or other royal ruler.
- monarchical adjective
- Relating to a king, queen, or monarchy.
Commonly confused: constitutional monarch or absolute monarch?
constitutional monarch vs absolute monarch
An absolute monarch holds full governing power, while a constitutional monarch's power is limited by law and usually by parliament.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'constitutional monarch' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A constitutional monarch reigns without governing, so option B fits. Option A describes an absolute ruler, and a constitutional monarch is not elected like a president.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “constitutional monarch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.