| absolute monarchy | |
| —n | |
| Compare constitutional monarchy a monarchy without constitutional limits | |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Rule by one person — a monarch, usually a king or a queen — whose actions are restricted neither by written law nor by custom; a system different from a constitutional monarchy and from a republic. Absolute monarchy persisted in France until 1789 and in Russia until 1917.