palatial
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- palatially adverb
- palatialness noun
- unpalatial adjective
Etymology
Origin of palatial
Explanation
Knowing that the adjective palatial is derived from the same Latin word as palace gives you a good sense of its meaning: magnificent, reminiscent of a home fit for a king. The Palatine (Collis Palatium in Latin) is the center of Rome’s famed Seven Hills. Tradition holds that it was the location on which Romulus founded the city, and it became a prestigious site for powerful Romans—including emperors—to build large, lavish homes. Palatium made its way into every Romance language and beyond: it became palazzo in Italian, palacio in Spanish, and palast in German. Palace entered English via the Old French palais. Power, affluence, extravagance: these are the qualities that should come to mind when you encounter the word palatial.
Vocabulary lists containing palatial
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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The Glass Castle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Late socialite Ivana Trump’s palatial New York City townhouse has finally found a buyer—more than three years after it was put on the market for $26.5 million.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026
Mariano spends his days in grand, palatial spaces that are curiously still and inert, like hushed museum galleries.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025
On Wednesday, one man stood outside the palatial courthouse in Rome wrapped in a Ukrainian flag and holding a poster that read: "Serhiy Kuznetsov is a defender, not a criminal."
From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025
In Lengel’s view, the addition’s palatial size and ornament is a poor fit for the executive mansion’s relative modesty.
From Slate • Aug. 5, 2025
One day, when she was at the market, she saw an old man selling a painting of a palatial estate.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
