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
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
The Shakespearean classic portrays the clash between divine right and pragmatic governance.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 June 2024
Contrary to recent interpretations of Zionism inflected with religious and messianic flavors, Leibowitz challenged the notion that the Jewish people have a divine right to the land of Israel.
—Moti Mizrahi, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2023
Rather, Khomeini’s new constitution institutionalized the concept of velayat-e faqih, the divine right of the clergy to rule.
—Ervand Abrahamian, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2016
Many groups formed hierarchical class systems and were ruled by powerful leaders who claimed supernatural powers—not unlike kings who ruled by divine right in Europe.
—Kathleen Duval, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
Recall that the Czars ruled, also, by divine right.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
Doing so was his divine right as both sovereign and catalyst, a ritual that would have strengthened his connection to the kinetic.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2023
America’s social contract was that liberty and self-determination was a more powerful engine of human freedom than vassalage and the divine right of kings.
—TIME, 9 Jan. 2024
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 July 2024
The Shakespearean classic portrays the clash between divine right and pragmatic governance.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 June 2024
Contrary to recent interpretations of Zionism inflected with religious and messianic flavors, Leibowitz challenged the notion that the Jewish people have a divine right to the land of Israel.
—Moti Mizrahi, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2023
Rather, Khomeini’s new constitution institutionalized the concept of velayat-e faqih, the divine right of the clergy to rule.
—Ervand Abrahamian, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2016
Many groups formed hierarchical class systems and were ruled by powerful leaders who claimed supernatural powers—not unlike kings who ruled by divine right in Europe.
—Kathleen Duval, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
Recall that the Czars ruled, also, by divine right.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
Doing so was his divine right as both sovereign and catalyst, a ritual that would have strengthened his connection to the kinetic.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2023
America’s social contract was that liberty and self-determination was a more powerful engine of human freedom than vassalage and the divine right of kings.
—TIME, 9 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'divine right.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 15 Jul. 2024.
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