Meaning & use
diadem
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Meanings
nouncountable
A jeweled band or circlet worn around the head by a ruler as a sign of royal power or high honor.
Grammar: Has a plural: a queen's diadems; usually singular when one ruler is meant: the queen wore a diadem.
Patterns
- a diadem of something
- wear a diadem
The portrait showed the empress in a silk gown and a diadem of pearls.
Archaeologists found a gold diadem in the burial chamber of an ancient prince.
She placed the glittering diadem on her head before entering the ballroom.
nouncountablefigurativeliterary
Something that circles or crowns a person or thing like a band of jewels, often used in poetic description.
Grammar: Figurative and poetic: a diadem of stars, not an everyday word.
Patterns
- a diadem of something
A diadem of frost sparkled along the branches at dawn.
The mountain wore a diadem of clouds as the sun went down.
Word forms
| plural | diadems |
|---|
Common combinations
- a jeweled diadem
- A jeweled diadem rested on the velvet cushion in the museum case.
- wear a diadem
- In the play, the young queen must wear a diadem that feels far too heavy.
- a diadem of pearls
- Her hair was held back by a diadem of pearls.
- a gold diadem
- The statue's head was circled by a gold diadem.
- place a diadem on someone's head
- The archbishop placed a diadem on the princess's head during the ceremony.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crown
- Crown is the everyday and much broader word, while diadem suggests a slimmer band or circlet, often in an older or poetic setting.
- tiara
- A tiara is a decorative half-circle of jewels worn by women at formal events, whereas a diadem more strongly signals royal authority.
- coronet
- A coronet is a small crown worn by lesser nobles, so it signals a lower rank than a diadem does.
- circlet
- A circlet is any simple ring or band for the head and need not carry any royal meaning.
Word family
- diademed adjective
- wearing a diadem, as in a diademed queen
- crown noun
- the ordinary word for a ruler's headpiece
Commonly confused: diadem or diaphragm?
diadem vs diaphragm
Both begin with dia-, but a diaphragm is the muscle under the lungs used in breathing, nothing to do with royal headwear.
Practice
The poet described the queen as wearing a ___ of moonlight in her hair.
Choose one answer.
A diadem is a jeweled headband, so a diadem of moonlight is a poetic image. The other options look similar but mean a muscle, a drawing and a hard choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “diadem”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.