# capital

/ˈkæpətəɫ/ (US) · /kˈæpɪtəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/capital
Updated: 2026-04-30

## Senses

### 1. government city

noun · CEFR A1

the most important city in a country, where the government is located.

For teachers: the city or town that functions as the seat of government and administrative center of a country or region.

- Paris is the capital of France and its largest city.
- While many assume Sydney is the capital of Australia, the seat of government is actually located in Canberra.

### 2. uppercase letter

noun · CEFR A1

a large letter used at the start of a sentence or a name.

For teachers: an uppercase letter as opposed to a lowercase one; used for proper nouns and sentence initials.

- Remember to start every person's name with a capital.
- The manuscript was written entirely in block capitals, making it difficult to distinguish between proper names and general vocabulary.

### 3. money and assets

noun · CEFR B1

money or property used to start a business or produce more wealth.

For teachers: wealth in the form of money or other assets owned by a person or organization or available for a purpose such as starting a company.

- The company needs more capital to open a second office.
- The startup struggled to secure enough venture capital to move their prototype into the mass-production phase.

### 4. top of a column

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the decorated part at the very top of a stone pillar.

For teachers: the distinct uppermost part of a column or pilaster, often decorated according to a specific architectural order.

- The ancient Greek temple had beautiful carvings on every capital.
- The architect specified Corinthian capitals for the facade to provide a more ornate aesthetic than the simpler Doric style used in the courtyard.

### 5. death penalty

adjective · CEFR B2 · Formal

describing a crime that can be punished by death.

For teachers: relating to or being a crime that is punishable by death.

- In some countries, murder is still a capital offense.
- The debate over capital punishment often centers on whether the state has the moral authority to execute its citizens.

### 6. excellent

adjective · CEFR C1 · British English · Archaic

an old-fashioned way to say something is very good.

For teachers: an intensive used to express excellence or high approval; now largely restricted to specific dialects or period mimicry.

- That is a capital idea for a party.
- The colonel remarked that it was a capital dinner, though the younger guests found his phrasing rather quaint.

### 7. uppercase

adjective · CEFR A2

written as a large letter.

For teachers: pertaining to or being an uppercase letter.

- The title of the book was written in capital letters.
- The legal document required the applicant to sign their name in capital letters to ensure legibility.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.