royalist

[roi-uh-list]

noun

1. a supporter or adherent of a king or royal government, especially in times of rebellion or civil war.

2. (initial capital letter),  a Cavalier adherent of Charles I of England.

3. a loyalist in the American Revolution; Tory.

4. (initial capital letter),  an adherent of the house of Bourbon in France.

adjective

1. of or relating to royalists.

   royalist sympathies.

royalist

/ ˈrɔɪəlɪst /

noun

1. a supporter of a monarch or monarchy, esp a supporter of the Stuarts during the English Civil War

2. informal,  an extreme reactionary or conservative

   an economic royalist

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to royalists

Other Word Forms

• royalism noun
• royalistic adjective
• antiroyalism noun
• antiroyalist noun
• nonroyalist noun
• ultraroyalist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of royalist¹

First recorded in 1635–45; royal + -ist

Example Sentences

This has given rise to a widespread belief in Thailand that it nearly always rules against those seen as a threat by conservative, royalist forces.

From BBC

The land has been pasture meadow since royalist forces drew up their lines on Lansdown Hill above us, in the English Civil War in the 1600s.

From BBC

The royalist faction in England were essentially moderates, who believed in religious liberty, wanted global trade and founded the Royal Society to advance science.

From Salon

In contrast, British media primed U.K. readers and American royalists to despise Meghan before she and Prince Harry decamped for Canada.

From Salon

His corrupt government, putatively a secular Arab nationalist one, would receive billions of dollars from the fundamentalist royalists of Saudi Arabia.

From Salon

Related Words

• archconservative 
• right-winger www.thesaurus.com
• rightist 
• traditionalist www.thesaurus.com