kingmaker

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word kingmaker. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word kingmaker, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say kingmaker in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word kingmaker you have here. The definition of the word kingmaker will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofkingmaker, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Etymology

An illustration of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, in the Founders and Benefactors Book of Tewkesbury Abbey (c. 1525). Kingmaker was originally an epithet given to Warwick for his role in deposing and appointing Henry VI and Edward IV.

From king +‎ maker, originally used in the 16th century in “Warwick the Kingmaker”, an epithet of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (1428–1471), a key figure in the Wars of the Roses whose actions led to King Henry VI being deposed in 1461 and Edward IV appointed in his place, then Edward IV being replaced by Henry VI again in 1470.

Pronunciation

Noun

kingmaker (plural kingmakers)

  1. (politics) Someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader.
    Coordinate term: queenmaker
    • 2012 April 23, Angelique Chrisafis, “French election: Marine Le Pen voters grapple with their role as kingmakers”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 January 2021:
      Alain, who is proud of choosing the extreme right but still didn't want his real name printed, is one of the 6.4 million Le Pen voters who are now the kingmakers in deciding who becomes the next president of France. If the Socialist François Hollande topped the poll, beating the rightwing president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and gaining momentum for returning the left to the presidency for the first time in a generation, it is Le Pen whose high showing and third place now holds the election in the balance.
    • 2023 October 14, Antoinette Radford & Graeme Baker, “New Zealand election: National party's Chris Luxon claims victory”, in BBC, archived from the original on 2023-10-21:
      However, a National-Act coalition would only have a slim majority, meaning Mr Luxon may need to secure the support of NZ First, whose leader Winston Peters has been kingmaker in previous Labour and National-led coalitions.
  2. (by extension, game theory) A player who is unable to win but powerful enough to decide which of the other viable players will eventually win.

Usage notes

  • In sense 1, the word is mostly used for people with powerful influence in choosing a candidate for public representation.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

Further reading