From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishroyalroy‧al1 /ˈrɔɪəl/ ●●● S3 W1 adjective [only before noun] 1 PGOrelating to or belonging to a king or queen → regal the royal palace the royal family2 used in the names of organizations that serve or are supported by a king or queen the Royal Navy the Royal College of Music3 IMPRESSvery impressive, as if done for a king or queen a royal welcome4 → the royal 'we' —royally adverb
Examples from the Corpus
royal• The development of the retinue would have been impossible without royal backing and reflected, rather than negated, the king's authority.• Walking several feet apart and avoiding even making eye contact, the royal couple arrive at Seoul's national cemetery.• The royal crypt was laid out by the architect Kamil RoÜkot in 1928-35.• But otherwise the informal processes of the Chamber continued to dominate royal finance until the 1530s.• the royal house of Austria• They've made a royal mess of things.• Turn right towards the royal palace, then right again to reach Place Royale.• A small bomb was said to have exploded near the royal party's hotel, causing no injuries.• The ceremony at Notre-Dame was one of the great royal spectacles of the sixteenth century.• Then he demanded to see the royal store-rooms and the lettuce-garden.royalroyal2 noun [countable] informalPGO a member of a royal family OPP commonerExamples from the Corpus
royal• She is also expected to join other royals at the church service on Christmas Day.• It is a pity that other royals can not behave like her, particularly during the personal crises in their lives.• The royals have had their own train for 150 years.• The royals should be told to do likewise.Origin royal1 (1200-1300) Old French roial, from Latin regalis; → REGAL 