Lord vs. King — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 9, 2023
Lord is a title for nobility or a deity; King refers to a male monarch or sovereign head of a state.
Difference Between Lord and King
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A Lord, historically and in various cultures, is a title of respect for individuals of high social rank or nobility. In contrast, a King is typically the highest-ranking official in a monarchy, overseeing an entire kingdom or territory. While both Lord and King are titles denoting authority, they have different scopes and realms of influence.
In many monarchies, there might be numerous Lords, each responsible for a specific region or territory within the kingdom. On the other hand, there would typically be only one King, reigning supreme above all other titles, with final say in state affairs. This distinction makes the title of King more universally recognized and powerful compared to that of a Lord.
From a linguistic perspective, the term Lord can also be used in religious contexts, referring to deities or supreme beings. The term King, while primarily political, can also be used in religious texts, but its usage leans heavily towards a ruling figure of a kingdom.
The essence of both terms, Lord and King, revolves around power, leadership, and governance. However, a King's domain is usually larger, encompassing entire nations, while a Lord's dominion might be a single estate, town, or region.
Comparison Chart
Difference Aspect
Lord
King
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Rank
Nobleman or deity
Male monarch or sovereign
Domain
Specific region, estate, or deity realm
Entire nation or kingdom
Numerical Presence
Multiple Lords possible in one realm
Typically one King per realm
Usage in Religion
Refers to supreme beings or deities
Sometimes used, but mostly for a ruling figure
Universality
Varies by culture, more localized
Universally recognized as the highest-ranking sovereign
Compare with Definitions
Lord
Lord is a title for noblemen.
The Lord of the manor held significant power.
King
A man chosen as the winner of a contest or the honorary head of an event
A homecoming king.
Lord
Lord is a term of respect.
They addressed him as My Lord.
King
King is a male monarch.
The King decreed new laws for his kingdom.
Lord
Lord can be used as a courtesy title.
Lord John Smith was a notable figure.
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
Lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, a chief, or a ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are entitled to courtesy titles.
King
A male sovereign.
Lord
A king.
King
One that is supreme or preeminent in a particular group, category, or sphere
"In many countries, soccer is the king of sports" (Cameron W. Barr).
Lord
A territorial magnate.
King
Abbr. K A playing card bearing the figure of a king, ranking above a queen.
Lord
The proprietor of a manor.
King
Abbr. K The principal chess piece, which can move one square in any direction and must be protected against checkmate.
Lord
Lords The House of Lords.
King
A piece in checkers that has been moved to the last row on the opponent's side of the board and been crowned, thus becoming free to move both forward and backward.
Lord
Used as a form of address for a marquis, an earl, or a viscount.
King
Kings(used with a sing. verb) See Table at Bible.
Lord
Used as the usual style for a baron.
King
A king-size bed.
Lord
Used as a courtesy title for a younger son of a duke or marquis.
King
Principal or chief, as in size or importance.
Lord
Used as a title for certain high officials and dignitaries
Lord Chamberlain.
The Lord Mayor of London.
King
Of or relating to a king-size bed
King sheets.
A king bed skirt.
Lord
Used as a title for a bishop.
King
To make (a piece in checkers) into a king; crown.
Lord
God.
King
A male monarch; a man who heads a monarchy. If it is an absolute monarchy, then he is the supreme ruler of his nation.
Henry VIII was the king of England from 1509 to 1547.
Lord
(Christianity) Jesus.
King
A powerful or majorly influential person.
Howard Stern styled himself as the "king of all media".
Lord
A man of renowned power or authority.
King
Something that has a preeminent position.
In times of financial panic, cash is king.
Lord
A man who has mastery in a given field or activity.
King
A component of certain games.
Lord
(Archaic) The male head of a household.
King
(chess) The principal chess piece, that players seek to threaten with unavoidable capture to result in a victory by checkmate. It is often the tallest piece, with a symbolic crown with a cross at the top.
Lord
(Archaic) A husband.
King
(card games) A playing card with the letter "K" and the image of a king on it, the thirteenth card in a given suit.
Lord
To insist upon or boast about so as to act in a domineering or superior manner
"He had lorded over her his self-proclaimed spiritual and poetic superiority" (David Leavitt).
King
A checker (a piece of checkers/draughts) that reached the farthest row forward, thus becoming crowned (either by turning it upside-down, or by stacking another checker on it) and gaining more freedom of movement.
Lord
To act in a domineering or superior manner
An upperclassman lording over the younger students.
King
The central pin or skittle in bowling games.
Lord
To have a prominent or dominating position
The castle lords over the valley.
King
A king skin.
Oi mate, have you got kings?
Lord
To rule over
Lorded over a vast empire.
King
A male dragonfly; a drake.
Lord
(obsolete) The master of the servants of a household; (historical) the master of a feudal manor
King
A king-sized bed.
Lord
(archaic) The male head of a household, a father or husband.
King
The monarch with the most power and authority in a monarchy, regardless of sex.
Lord
(archaic) The owner of a house, piece of land, or other possession
King
(graph theory) A vertex in a directed graph which can reach every other vertex via a path with a length of at most 2.
Lord
One possessing similar mastery over others; (historical) any feudal superior generally; any nobleman or aristocrat; any chief, prince, or sovereign ruler; in Scotland, a male member of the lowest rank of nobility (the equivalent rank in England is baron)
King
To crown king, to make (a person) king.
Lord
(historical) A feudal tenant holding his manor directly of the king
King
To rule over as king.
Lord
A peer of the realm, particularly a temporal one
King
To perform the duties of a king.
Lord
A baron or lesser nobleman, as opposed to greater ones
King
To assume or pretend preeminence (over); to lord it over.
Lord
One possessing similar mastery in figurative senses (esp. as lord of ~)
King
To promote a piece of draughts/checkers that has traversed the board to the opposite side, that piece subsequently being permitted to move backwards as well as forwards.
Lord
A magnate of a trade or profession.
King
To dress and perform as a drag king.
Lord
(astrology) The heavenly body considered to possess a dominant influence over an event, time, etc.
King
A Chinese musical instrument, consisting of resonant stones or metal plates, arranged according to their tones in a frame of wood, and struck with a hammer.
Lord
A hunchback.
King
A chief ruler; a sovereign; one invested with supreme authority over a nation, country, or tribe, usually by hereditary succession; a monarch; a prince.
Kings will be tyrants from policy, when subjects are rebels from principle.
There was a State without king or nobles.
But yonder comes the powerful King of Day,Rejoicing in the east
Lord
Sixpence.
King
One who, or that which, holds a supreme position or rank; a chief among competitors; as, a railroad king; a money king; the king of the lobby; the king of beasts.
Lord
Domineer or act like a lord.
King
A playing card having the picture of a king{1}; as, the king of diamonds.
Lord
(transitive) To invest with the dignity, power, and privileges of a lord; to grant the title of lord.
King
The chief piece in the game of chess.
Lord
A hump-backed person; - so called sportively.
King
A crowned man in the game of draughts.
Lord
One who has power and authority; a master; a ruler; a governor; a prince; a proprietor, as of a manor.
But now I was the lordOf this fair mansion.
Man over menHe made not lord.
King
The title of two historical books in the Old Testament.
Lord
A titled nobleman., whether a peer of the realm or not; a bishop, as a member of the House of Lords; by courtesy; the son of a duke or marquis, or the eldest son of an earl; in a restricted sense, a baron, as opposed to noblemen of higher rank.
King
To supply with a king; to make a king of; to raise to royalty.
Those traitorous captains of Israel who kinged themselves by slaying their masters and reigning in their stead.
Lord
A title bestowed on the persons above named; and also, for honor, on certain official persons; as, lord advocate, lord chamberlain, lord chancellor, lord chief justice, etc.
King
A male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
Lord
A husband.
Thou worthy lordOf that unworthy wife that greeteth thee.
King
A competitor who holds a preeminent position
Lord
One of whom a fee or estate is held; the male owner of feudal land; as, the lord of the soil; the lord of the manor.
King
A very wealthy or powerful businessman;
An oil baron
Lord
The Supreme Being; Jehovah.
King
Preeminence in a particular category or group or field;
The lion is the king of beasts
Lord
The Savior; Jesus Christ.
King
United States woman tennis player (born in 1943)
Lord
To invest with the dignity, power, and privileges of a lord.
King
United States guitar player and singer of the blues (born in 1925)
Lord
To rule or preside over as a lord.
King
United States charismatic civil rights leader and Baptist minister who campaigned against the segregation of Blacks (1929-1968)
Lord
To play the lord; to domineer; to rule with arbitrary or despotic sway; - sometimes with over; and sometimes with it in the manner of a transitive verb; as, rich students lording it over their classmates.
The whiles she lordeth in licentious bliss.
I see them lording it in London streets.
And lorded over them whom now they serve.
King
A checker that has been moved to the opponent's first row where it is promoted to a piece that is free to move either forward or backward
Lord
Terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
King
One of the four playing cards in a deck bearing the picture of a king
Lord
A person who has general authority over others
King
(chess) the weakest but the most important piece
Lord
A titled peer of the realm
King
King holds the highest rank in a monarchy.
The King's word was final and undisputed.
Lord
Make a lord of someone
King
King can also refer to a top player or component.
He was the King of chess in his town.
Lord
Lord can denote a deity.
Many pray to the Lord for guidance.
King
King is used in card games.
He drew a King from the deck.
Lord
Lord might govern an estate or region.
The Lord of the region made the final decisions.
King
King can be symbolic of supremacy.
In the animal kingdom, the lion is often called the King.
Common Curiosities
Which holds a higher rank, Lord or King?
King holds a higher rank than Lord.
Can a woman be a Lord or King?
Women are typically titled "Lady" or "Queen" respectively.
Who has more land, a King or a Lord?
Typically, a King oversees an entire nation, while Lords have smaller domains.
Are the terms "Lord" and "King" interchangeable?
No, they denote different ranks and roles.
Is every Lord also a King?
No, while all Kings are lords, not every Lord is a King.
Can the term "Lord" be used for religious deities?
Yes, "Lord" can refer to a deity in many religions.
Is there always only one King in a kingdom?
Typically, yes. There's usually one reigning King in a kingdom.
Can "King" refer to non-royal contexts?
Yes, like the "King of Pop" or in card games.
Is a King's power absolute?
It varies; some kings have absolute power, while others are constitutional figureheads.
How does one become a Lord?
Historically, it's by noble birth, royal appointment, or by owning land.
Do Kings and Lords have political power today?
It varies; in some countries, they hold ceremonial roles, while in others, they wield political power.
How is a King's successor chosen?
Often through hereditary succession, but it varies by monarchy.
Can someone buy the title "Lord"?
There are ceremonial titles for sale, but they don't confer nobility or rights.
Is every country led by a King?
No, many countries are republics without monarchies.
Can "Lord" be used in modern titles?
Yes, there are still Lords in places like the UK, with ceremonial roles.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
