divine right
noun
: the right of a sovereign to rule as set forth by the theory of government that holds that a monarch receives the right to rule directly from God and not from the people
Examples of divine right in a Sentence
He ruled by divine right.
My boss seems to think he has a divine right to order people around.
Recent Examples on the Web
The divine right of kings, feudalism, human bondage.
—
Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Zelda herself often acts like a mentor to Link, guiding and emboldening him to take what he’s given — often, the divine right to be her swordsman.
—Ashley Bardhan, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2024
In the end, Rhaenyra even proves willing to undercut the source of the Targaryens’s divine right of kings—their communion with dragons—by calling for riders from outside the legitimate royal lineage, recruiting bastards who come to embody the vox populi.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
Our leader shall not be a king ruling by divine right, as that was decided on this day in Philadelphia 248 years ago, but one of the common folk elevated freely by fellow citizens.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for divine right 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Zelda herself often acts like a mentor to Link, guiding and emboldening him to take what he’s given — often, the divine right to be her swordsman.
—Ashley Bardhan, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2024
In the end, Rhaenyra even proves willing to undercut the source of the Targaryens’s divine right of kings—their communion with dragons—by calling for riders from outside the legitimate royal lineage, recruiting bastards who come to embody the vox populi.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
Our leader shall not be a king ruling by divine right, as that was decided on this day in Philadelphia 248 years ago, but one of the common folk elevated freely by fellow citizens.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for divine right
Dictionary Entries Near divine right
Cite this Entry
“Divine right.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divine%20right. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share