praetorian

1 of 2

adjective

prae·​to·​ri·​an prē-ˈtȯr-ē-ən 

variants or less commonly pretorian

1

often Praetorian : of, forming, or resembling the Roman imperial bodyguard

2

: of or relating to a praetor

praetorian noun

often Praetorian

pretor, pretorian

2 of 2

pre·​tor

less common spellings of praetor, praetorian

: an ancient Roman magistrate ranking below a consul and having chiefly judicial functions

Examples of praetorian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And those people, like every other praetorian class in history, will quickly discover what their indispensability is worth. — Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026

By the spring of 1996, tensions between the two labels and their gang member praetorian guards escalated to the point where a Crip tasked to protect Combs allegedly pulled out a gun on Death Row after the 1996 Soul Train Awards. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026

With a twist of his hand, Hiddleston takes the audience back in time to meet Avianius, a teenage bronzesmith apprentice, Julia Felix, a bathhouse owner, and an unnamed Praetorian guard. — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 22 July 2026

Putin has a series of failsafe defenses, the equivalent of praetorian guards. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for praetorian

• chorion
• corean
• dorian
• saurian
• gregorian
• historian
• nestorian
• stentorian
• pythagorean
• valedictorian

Kids Definition

praetorian

1 of 2 adjective

prae·​to·​ri·​an

prē-ˈtōr-ē-ən, 

-ˈtȯr-

1

: of or relating to a Roman praetor

2

often capitalized : of, relating to, or being the bodyguard of a Roman emperor

the praetorian guard

praetorian

2 of 2 noun

often capitalized

: a member of the praetorian guard