Word.ws English Dictionary

Williamite

Williamite noun: a follower of William III of England who deposed James II in the Glorious Revolution.

Noun

Williamite (plural Williamites)

  1. (historical) A follower of William III of England who deposed James II in the Glorious Revolution.
    • We fought for the royal Stuarts that reneged us against the Williamites and they betrayed us.1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 316
  2. (historical) A member of the Hermits of Saint William, a religious order founded by disciples of William of Maleval.
    • Having weighed every thing very impartially, one ſhall find that the Order of theſe Auguſtinians was in the beginning formed of ſeveral Heremitical Congregations, which were ſpread in ſeveral places under different names, and eſpecially of the Williamites, and Zambonites. […] SOME do pretend that...1693, Gabriel d’ Emillianne [pseudonym; Antonio Gavin], A Short History of Monastical Orders, in Which the Primitive Institution of Monks, Their Tempers, Habits, Rules, and the Condition They Are in...
    • When, in 1256, Alexander IV founded the Hermits of St. Augustine many of the Williamites refused to enter the union and were permitted to exist as a separate body under the Benedictine Rule.1912, Raymund Webster, “Williamites”, in Charles G[eorge] Herbermann, Edward A[loysius] Pace, Condé B[enoist] Pallen, Thomas J[oseph] Shahan, John J[oseph] Wynne, editors, The Catholic Encyclopedia...
  3. (historical) A member of the Order of Monte Vergine, a religious order founded by disciples of William of Montevergine.
    • The later history of the Williamites is similar to that of the Vallombrosans. They gave up the solitary life and adopted the Benedictine Rule, still retaining the white habit and cowl which distinguish them from the majority of Benedictines.1932, Peter F[rederick] Anson, “Benedictine Solitaries”, in The Quest of Solitude, London; Toronto, Ont.: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd.; New York, N.Y.: E. P. Dutton & Co. Inc., →OCLC, pages 72–74
    • WILLIAM (Guliélmus, i), Ab. C. June 25. R. M. 12 Cent. Vercelli, near Naples, founder of Williamites or Hermits of Monte Vergine.1935 April 2, Edward F[rancis] Smith, Baptismal and Confirmation Names: Containing in Alphabetical Order the Names of Saints with Latin and Modern Language Equivalents, Nicknames, Brief Biography...

Adjective

Williamite (comparative more Williamite, superlative most Williamite)

  1. (historical) Of or relating to his followers who deposed James II in the Glorious Revolution.
    • For whether King James, or K. William prevails, all our ancient Privileges ſeem expiring; and we are threatened, on all ſides, with Military and Arbitrary Government, unleſs we make a Tender of the Crown upon the Terms of the Conſtitution, to the King we have hitherto Abdicated, and who cannot, in...[1689?], Better Late than Never, →OCLC, signature A, recto, column 1
    • For to whom ſhould I dedicate a Book of this kind, I mean ſuch a Williamite one, if I may be allowed to ſpeak ſtill in our late Dialect, if not to your Grace?1702, Robert Fleming [the younger], “To His Grace James, Duke of Queensberry, &c.”, in The Blessedness of Those Who Die in the Lord: A Practical Discourse Occasioned by the Death of King William...
  2. (historical) Of architecture or furnishings: of the style of that period.
    • In proportions and even in origin perhaps the nearest parallel is the bedstead which stood formerly in that great storehouse of Williamite furniture, Hampton Court, Herefordshire.1950, The Burlington Magazine, numbers 562–573, London: The Burlington Magazine Publications, →OCLC, page 7, column 2
    • Because the presumably more elaborate gardens of the Governor’s Palace, laid out between 1711 and 1720, were in place when the plate was engraved, it is surprising how little is shown there and how detailed the gardens of the College are by comparison. The latter, which are very “Williamite,”...2002, James D. Kornwolf with Georgiana W[allis] Kornwolf, “The College of William and Mary, 1693–1699”, in Architecture and Town Planning in Colonial North America (Creating the North American...
  3. (historical, not comparable) Of glassware: bearing a portrait or emblem of him, as an indication of anti-Jacobite sentiments.
    • It seems to be a well-established fact that the Williamite glasses were not made and decorated primarily for Orange clubs, but for use in private houses on special days of Orange festivals—1st July, the day of the Boyne; 4th November, the King’s birthday and wedding day, etc.1897, Albert Hartshorne, “Irish Glases”, in Old English Glasses. An Account of Glass Drinking Vessels in England, from Early Times to the End of the Eighteenth Century. […], London; New York, N.Y....
    • No. 213 is a Williamite glass bearing the inscription—"the immortal memory;” others read, "to the glorious memory of king william”—words from the Orange toast which begins, “To the glorious, pious, and immortal memory of the great and good King William, who freed us from Pope and Popery, knavery...[1905], Percy Bate, “Inscribed and Historic Glasses”, in English Table Glass (Newnes’ Library of the Applied Arts), London: George Newnes Limited […]; New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC...

Examples of Williamite in a sentence

  • They are also known as Austin canons and Austin friars and were divided into a number of groups such as the Williamites; Hermits of the Holy Trinity; Bonites; and Brittianians.1984, Janet Mayo, “The Growth of Monasticism and the Beginnings of Opus Anglicanum 1066–1250”, in A History of Ecclesiastical Dress, New...
  • Saints Romuald and William founded orders with an even more remote profile, the Camaldolese and the Williamites – the latter of which ceased to exist in the course of the 19th century.2023, Joris Geldhof, “Modern Saints in the Roman Missal. An Exploration of the Proprium de Sanctis”, in Elisa Frei, Eleonora Rai, editors...
  • But he would not be drawn over to the King’s side, and the student of poetry must look to less familiar writers if he is to find anything of a Williamite character worth his attention.1974, Earl Miner, “Introduction”, in Augustan Reprint Society, Poems on the Reign of William III (1690, 1696, 1699, 1702) (Publication...
  • The latter, which are very “Williamite,” parallel closely the gardens London had recently laid out at Hampton Court (Figs.2002, James D. Kornwolf with Georgiana W[allis] Kornwolf, “The College of William and Mary, 1693–1699”, in Architecture and Town Planning...

Synonyms of Williamite

Forms of Williamite

Noun
pluralWilliamites
Adjective
comparativemore Williamite
superlativemost Williamite

Origin of Williamite

From William + -ite.

Questions about Williamite

What does Williamite mean?
Williamite means a follower of William III of England who deposed James II in the Glorious Revolution.
How do you use Williamite in a sentence?
They are also known as Austin canons and Austin friars and were divided into a number of groups such as the Williamites; Hermits of the Holy Trinity; Bonites; and Brittianians.
What part of speech is Williamite?
Williamite can be a noun or an adjective.
What is the plural of Williamite?
The plural of Williamite is Williamites.

Words near Williamite in the dictionary

  1. William McKinleys
  2. William Tell
  3. William's Harbour
  4. william-nilliam
  5. Williamina
  6. Williamite
  7. Williamites
  8. Williams
  9. Williams County
  10. Williams elfin facies syndrome
  11. Williams Landing

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Williamite (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “Williamite.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/williamite. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.