Standard Lemma guide

viceroy

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈvaɪsˌɹɔɪ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: V AY1 S R OY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who governs a country, province, or colony as the representative of a monarch.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Ireland was governed by a Viceroy representing the English King/Queen when it was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vicar, provost

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A zongdu.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An orange and black North American butterfly (Limenitis archippus), so named because it is similar to, but smaller than, the monarch butterfly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

showy American butterfly resembling the monarch but smaller

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Limenitis archippus

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: nymphalid, nymphalid butterfly, brush-footed butterfly, four-footed butterfly

5

noun

Meaning 5

governor of a country or province who rules as the representative of his or her king or sovereign

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vicereine

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: governor

Narrower terms: exarch, Khedive

History

Etymology

From Middle French vice-roy, from vice- + roy (“king”). Compare viscount.

Across languages

Translations

59 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نَائِب (nāʔib) — governor of a country
  • Armenian: փոխարքա (pʻoxarkʻa) — governor of a country
  • Bulgarian: вицекрал (vicekral) — governor of a country
  • Burmese: ဘုရင်ခံ (bhu.ranghkam) — governor of a country
  • Catalan: virrei — governor of a country
  • Chinese Mandarin: 總督 /总督 (zǒngdū) — governor of a country
  • Chinese Mandarin: 督撫 /督抚 (dūfǔ) — governor of a country
  • Czech: místokrál — governor of a country
  • Danish: vicekonge — governor of a country
  • Dutch: onderkoning — governor of a country
  • Esperanto: vicreĝo — governor of a country
  • Faroese: varakongur — governor of a country
  • Finnish: varakuningas — governor of a country
  • French: vice-roi — governor of a country
  • Middle French: vice-roy — governor of a country
  • Georgian: მეფისნაცვალი (mepisnacvali) — governor of a country
  • Georgian: ვიცე-მეფე (vice-mepe) — governor of a country
  • German: Vizekönig — governor of a country
  • Gujarati: વાઇસરોય (vāisaroya) — governor of a country
  • Gujarati: વાઇસરૉય (vāisarŏya) — governor of a country
  • Hungarian: alkirály — governor of a country
  • Ido: vicerejo — governor of a country
  • Ido: vicerejino — governor of a country
  • Ido: vicerejulo — governor of a country
  • Indonesian: wazir — governor of a country
  • Indonesian: wizurai — governor of a country
  • Indonesian: raja muda — governor of a country
  • Indonesian: wakil mahkota — governor of a country
  • Indonesian: wakil raja — governor of a country
  • Irish: fear ionaid an rí — governor of a country
  • Irish: fear ionaid rí — governor of a country
  • Irish: leasrí — governor of a country
  • Irish: ionadaí rí — governor of a country
  • Italian: viceré — governor of a country
  • Japanese: 総督 (sōtoku) — governor of a country
  • Japanese: 副王 (fukuō) — governor of a country
  • Japanese: バイスロイ (baisuroi) — governor of a country
  • Khmer: អនុរាជ (a’nu’riech) — governor of a country
  • Khmer: ឧបរាជ (u’pa’raach) — governor of a country
  • Macedonian: вицекрал (vicekral) — governor of a country
  • Malay: wizurai — governor of a country
  • Malay: uparaja (of Majapahit etc.) — governor of a country
  • Manx: lhiass-ree — governor of a country
  • Norwegian Bokmål: visekonge — governor of a country
  • Polish: wicekról — governor of a country
  • Portuguese: vice-rei — governor of a country
  • Romanian: vicerege — governor of a country
  • Russian: вице-коро́ль (vice-korólʹ) — governor of a country
  • Shan: ပယိၼ်ႇၶၢမ်ႇ (pǎ yìn khàam) — governor of a country
  • Slovak: miestokráľ — governor of a country
  • Spanish: virrey — governor of a country
  • Swedish: vicekung — governor of a country
  • Swedish: vicekonung — governor of a country
  • Tagalog: birey — governor of a country
  • Thai: อุปราช (ùp-bpà-ràat) — governor of a country
  • Turkish: naip — governor of a country
  • Turkish: kral naibi — governor of a country
  • Ukrainian: віце-коро́ль (vice-korólʹ) — governor of a country
  • Polish: wicekról — butterfly
Real reading context

viceroy in complete knowledge articles