royal

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adj. having the grand or impressive appearance of a king or queen.

adj. possessing the demeanour or status of a monarch; illustrious or magnificent in scale.

“The guests received a royal welcome with a red carpet and live music.”

“The estate was maintained with royal excellence, featuring gardens that rivalled those of the national botanical society.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

adj. used to emphasize how big, complete, or annoying something is.

adj. used as an intensifier to emphasize the degree of a quality, typically a negative one.

“The whole situation was a royal pain from start to finish.”

“The project turned into a royal mess after the lead developer resigned without leaving any documentation.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a member of a king or queen's family.

n. a member of a royal family; often used as a collective plural in media contexts.

“The royals are expected to attend the charity event this evening.”

“Public interest in the private lives of the royals remains a significant driver of tabloid sales in the United Kingdom.”

C2 · Proficiency Technical

adj. related to a specific small sail high up on a large ship.

adj. denoting a mast or sail located immediately above the topgallant mast.

“The sailors climbed high into the rigging to set the royal sail.”

“As the wind increased, the captain ordered the crew to furl the royals to prevent the masts from straining under the pressure.”

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Technical

n. a specific large size of paper used for printing or writing.

n. a standard size of printing paper (25 by 20 inches) or writing paper (24 by 19 inches).

“The artist requested a sheet of royal paper for the large charcoal drawing.”

“The manuscript was printed on high-quality royal stock to ensure the illustrations were reproduced with maximum clarity.”