Definition

Proper noun A specific historical figure: Queen Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 until her death in 1901. She also held the title Empress of India from 1876. Her reign, known as the Victorian era, was a period of significant industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover.

Usage Examples

• As a subject:
• In historical context:
• Referring to the era:

Advanced Usage

• "The Widow of Windsor": A nickname for Queen Victoria following the death of her husband, Prince Albert, in 1861, after which she entered a long period of mourning and spent much time at Windsor Castle.
  • After Prince Albert's death, the "Widow of Windsor" withdrew from public life for many years.
• Used metonymically to represent the entire Victorian era, its attitudes, or its empire.
  • The moral code associated with Queen Victoria seems very distant to us now.

Variants and Related Words

• Victorian (adjective): Pertaining to the reign, time period, or characteristic attitudes of Queen Victoria.
  • Victorian architecture is known for its ornate details.
• Victorianism (noun): The culture, moral practices, or style characteristic of the Victorian era.

Synonyms

• The Monarch
• The Empress (specifically in context of India after 1876)
• Alexandrina Victoria (her birth name)

Related Phrases

• The Victorian Era / The Victorian Age: The period of British history corresponding to Queen Victoria's reign.
  • Charles Dickens was a famous novelist of the Victorian Era.
• The Grandmother of Europe: A phrase referencing how Queen Victoria's children and grandchildren married into many European royal families.
  • Through strategic marriages, Queen Victoria became known as the "Grandmother of Europe."

Noun

1. queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901)