Meaning & use
paladin
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Meanings
nouncountablespecialist
One of the twelve legendary knights who served the emperor Charlemagne in medieval stories.
Grammar: Often capitalized in legend: the Paladins.
Patterns
- a paladin of Charlemagne
Roland was the most famous paladin of Charlemagne.
Medieval poems told tales of the paladins.
The statue showed a paladin with a sword.
nouncountableliteraryapproving
A brave and loyal defender of a cause, especially someone who fights for what is right.
Grammar: Often followed by of: a paladin of justice.
Patterns
- a paladin of something
She became a paladin of free speech.
The senator was a paladin of the poor.
He saw himself as a paladin of the old traditions.
nouncountableinformal
A holy warrior character in fantasy games who uses fighting skill and sacred power.
Grammar: A character class in role-playing games.
Patterns
- play a paladin
I chose to play a paladin in our tabletop game.
The paladin healed his allies with a prayer.
Each paladin swears an oath to protect the weak.
Word forms
| plural | paladins |
|---|
Common combinations
- noble paladin
- The story follows a noble paladin on a quest.
- paladin of justice
- She was seen as a paladin of justice.
- paladin of freedom
- The poet was a paladin of freedom.
- holy paladin
- The holy paladin carried a glowing shield.
- paladin's oath
- He broke the paladin's oath.
Synonyms and how they differ
- champion
- Champion is a common word for someone who fights for a cause and does not suggest knights or legend as paladin does.
- knight
- A knight is a medieval warrior in general, while a paladin is a more heroic, idealized figure.
- crusader
- Crusader suggests campaigning with zeal for a cause, sometimes aggressively, unlike the nobler paladin.
- defender
- Defender is plain and neutral, with none of the heroic tone of paladin.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: paladin or palatine? paladin or palisade?
paladin vs palatine
Palatine refers to a palace or a high-ranking lord, while paladin refers to a heroic knight.
paladin vs palisade
A palisade is a fence of stakes and has no link to knights, despite the similar start.
Practice
In the novel, the lawyer is described as a ___ of the rights of the poor.
Choose one answer.
A paladin is a heroic defender of a cause. The other words look somewhat similar but do not fit the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “paladin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.