Monarch vs. Emperor — What's the Difference?

A monarch is a head of state for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in the state, or others may wield that power on behalf of the monarch.

An emperor (from Latin: imperator, via Old French: empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother (empress dowager), or a woman who rules in her own right (empress regnant).

A sole and absolute ruler.

A sovereign ruler of an empire

A sovereign, such as a king or empress, often with constitutionally limited authority

An orange and brown North American butterfly with a swift dodging flight, breeding chiefly on hackberries.

One that commands or rules

The male ruler of an empire.

One that surpasses others in power or preeminence

The emperor butterfly.

A monarch butterfly.

The emperor moth.

The ruler of an absolute monarchy or the head of state of a constitutional monarchy.

The emperor penguin.

The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, and others of genus Danaus, found primarily in North America, so called because of the designs on its wings.

The male monarch or ruler of an empire.

(Aboriginal English) A police officer.

Any monarch ruling an empire, irrespective of gender, with "empress" contrasting to mean the consort of an emperor.

(often capitalised) A stag which has sixteen or more points or tines on its antlers.

(political theory) Specifically, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire; the world-monarch.

The chief or best thing of its kind.

(tarot) The fourth trump or major arcana card of the tarot deck.

Any bird of the family Monarchidae.

A large, relatively valuable marble in children's games.

A sole or supreme ruler; a sovereign; the highest ruler; an emperor, king, queen, prince, or chief.

Any fish of the family Lethrinidae.

One superior to all others of the same kind; as, an oak is called the monarch of the forest.

(entomology) Any of various butterflies of the subfamily Charaxinae.

A patron deity or presiding genius.

(entomology) Any of various large dragonflies of the cosmopolitan genus Anax.

A very large red and black butterfly (Danais Plexippus); - called also milkweed butterfly and monarch butterfly.

An emperor penguin.

Superior to others; preëminent; supreme; ruling.

The sovereign or supreme monarch of an empire; - a title of dignity superior to that of king; as, the emperor of Germany or of Austria; the emperor or Czar of Russia.

A nation's ruler or head of state usually by hereditary right

The male ruler of an empire

Large migratory American butterfly having deep orange wings with black and white markings; the larvae feed on milkweed

Red table grape of California

Large moth of temperate forests of Eurasia having heavily scaled transparent wings

Large richly colored butterfly