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royal family

royal family

61 1.8
Close relatives of a king or queen who rules a country
  • noun
translation icon : familia real
  • Members of the royal family often participate in public engagements to connect with citizens.
  • members of the royal family
  • a royal family prince
  • criticize the royal family

I respect the royal family and what it's done for this nation.

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Examples

  • The royal family attended the charity event to support local organizations.

  • Most observers believed that his attitude was shared by some in the royal family.

    Academic text (1994)
  • I respect the royal family and what it's done for this nation.

  • How about if the royal family had followed the following strategy?

  • Friend to the King and the royal family.

  • The royal family will be there.

  • For example, suppose that the royal family operated as follows.

  • Is that any way for a royal family to behave?

  • However, there has long been speculation that the royal family is divided over the nuclear issue.

    Academic text (2013)
  • They were having some problems with the royal family not long ago.

Synonyms

royalty
vsroyal family
108 3.5

People from a ruling family, like kings or queens

is narrower, meaning only the immediate relatives of the current monarch
royal house
vsroyal family
2 4.7

A family of kings and queens who rule a country now or in the past

is about the current monarch's close relatives rather than a historic dynasty

How Noble

royal family
61 1.8
highborn family
  • Literature
7.6
wellborn
  • Archaic
9.1
common people
16 1.3

Surface Forms

royal family singular

Morphology

royal + family

The meaning 'the immediate family of a reigning king or queen' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'royal' (relating to a king or queen) with 'family' (people related by blood or marriage). This adjective+noun composition follows a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will reliably understand the MWE.

Etymology

Royal family comes from the image of a king or queen surrounded by their close relatives living in the palace. Because royal means 'of a king or queen' and family means 'close relatives', the phrase now refers to the immediate family of a reigning king or queen.