divine right
noun/dɪˌvaɪn ˈraɪt/
/dɪˌvaɪn ˈraɪt/
[uncountable, singular]- (in the past) the belief that the right of a king or queen to rule comes directly from God rather than from the agreement of the people
- the old idea of the divine right of kings
CultureThe last king in Britain to rule completely according to this belief, known as the divine right of kings, was Charles I. After the English Civil War the idea was gradually replaced by constitutional monarchy.Topics Politicsc2Definitions on the go
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- a right that somebody thinks they have to do something, without needing to ask anyone else
- No player has a divine right to be in this team.
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divine right