Princess Definition & Meaning

American

British

Gender

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms princess American [prin-sis, -ses, prin-ses] / ˈprɪn sɪs, -sɛs, prɪnˈsɛs /

noun

1. a nonreigning female member of a royal family.

2. History/Historical. a female sovereign or monarch; queen.

3. the consort of a prince.

4. (in Great Britain) a daughter or granddaughter (if the child of a son) of a king or queen.

5. a woman considered to have the qualities or characteristics of a princess.

adjective

1. Also princesse. (of a woman's dress, coat, or the like) styled with a close-fitting bodice and flared skirt, cut in single pieces, as gores, from shoulder to hem.

princess British / prɪnˈsɛs /

noun

1. (in Britain) a daughter of the sovereign or of one of the sovereign's sons

2. a nonreigning female member of a sovereign family

3. the wife and consort of a prince

4. any very attractive or outstanding woman

5. Also called: princess dress. princess line. a style of dress with a fitted bodice and an A-line skirt that is shaped by seams from shoulder to hem without a seam at the waistline

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Gender

See -ess.

Other Word Forms

• princesslike adjective
• princessly adjective

Etymology

Origin of princess

1350–1400; Middle English princesse < Middle French. See prince, -ess

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The prince and princess, both wearing daffodils on their lapels, also visited a forge and met nursery children aged three and four waiting with signs they had drawn.

From BBC

True love was for fair princesses and maidens and knights in shining armor.

From Literature

The princess had completed a run of engagements around mental health, young families and the British textile industry.

From BBC

China fell in love with its 'snow princess' at the Beijing 2022 Olympics where, as the poster girl of the Games, she duly delivered.

From BBC

The country’s newest ice princess retired at 16 and came back two years later.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• czar
• emperor
• king
• monarch
• shah
• sultan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.