Ruritania

[ roor-i-tey-nee-uh, roor-i-tey- ]

noun

1. a mythical, romantic kingdom conceived as the setting for a fairy tale, costume drama, comic operetta, or the like.
2. Facetious. any small, little-known country or region considered remote, backward, or exotic.

Ruritania

/ ˌrʊərɪˈteɪnɪə; -njə /

noun

1. an imaginary kingdom of central Europe: setting of several novels by English novelist Anthony Hope (1863–1933), esp The Prisoner of Zenda (1894)
2. any setting of adventure, romance, and intrigue

Other Words From

• Ruri·tani·an adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ruritania¹

After the fictional Central European kingdom in the novel The Prisoner of Zenda (1894) by A. Hope

Example Sentences

Court followers foil a royal plot by having a look-alike English tourist pose as the king of Ruritania.

From Los Angeles Times

After all, when a politician says “America First”, or indeed “Ruritania First”, that suggests that the interests of foreign investors are being left far behind.

From Economist

In the course of their repartee, we learn that the cheerful, easygoing Rudolf has red hair, the visible reminder of a great-grandmother’s indiscretion with a member of the royal house of Ruritania.

From Washington Post

Unless you’ve said so, the assumption is that you’re not the princess of Ruritania, or living under witness protection, or struggling with a serious illness.

From New York Times

Thomas Jefferson viewed the Old World as a redundant Ruritania where brave souls were weighed down by the ‘monkish trammels of priests and kings.’

From Time