divine right
3
8.6
- noun
- /dɪˈvaɪn raɪt/
:
derecho divino
- In the first treatise, Locke refutes the belief in the divine right of kings.
- divine right monarchy
- divine right to rule
- divine right of kings
They're celebrating a horrible thing, divine right of kings, oppression.
- They're celebrating a horrible thing, divine right of kings, oppression.
- All across Europe, east and West, the the divine right of kings was being asserted and it could have gone the other way.
- There's no, you know, kingly divine right in, in that respect.
Examples
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The Church, which had huge influence, believed in divine right and was thus firmly royalist.
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The one is the common right of humanity, and the other the divine right of kings.
Academic text (2009) -
For that reason we have a divine right to the land.
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I am your king by divine right!
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Nowhere is it written that you have the divine right to exist.
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Until the seventeenth century, God was the ultimate source of authority, and kings ruled by "divine right."
Academic text (1993) -
Here commences a new dominion acquired with a title by divine right.
Academic text (1994) -
Yes, I too was taught in school that Locke's writ was against the divine right of kings.
Blog text (29) -
Democracy is rooted in specific values based on either natural or divine right, implying the supremacy of the individual and the upward flow of sovereignty.
Academic text (1994) -
The concept of divine right suggested that monarchs were chosen by God to lead their nations.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A political idea that kings get their power from God and are not controlled by their people
A traditional Chinese idea that Heaven gives emperors the right to rule while they govern well
Antonyms
How Legitimate
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'divine' (of or from God) + 'right' (an entitlement), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to an entitlement or authority granted by God. This compositional interpretation matches common cross-linguistic labels for the political doctrine (e.g., Spanish 'derecho divino'), making the doctrinal sense predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Divine right comes from the image of a king saying his power was divine ('from God') and that his right was a special claim to rule that could not be questioned. That's why it means a ruler says their power comes from God and they are not responsible to the people.