Williamite

adj, noun

adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A follower of William III of England who deposed James II in the Glorious Revolution. historical

    "We fought for the royal Stuarts that reneged us against the Williamites and they betrayed us."

  2. 2
    A member of the Hermits of Saint William, a religious order founded by disciples of William of Maleval. historical

    "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 this William, Inſtitutor of the Williamites, was a Duke of Aquitain, Earl of Poitiers, and Diſciple of S. Bernard."

  3. 3
    A member of the Order of Monte Vergine, a religious order founded by disciples of William of Montevergine. historical

    "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."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or relating to the reign of William III of England from 1689 to 1702.; Of or relating to his followers who deposed James II in the Glorious Revolution. historical

    "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 common Honeſty, and according to the genuine ſignification of the Word, be ſaid to have abdicated his Crown, till he refuſes it upon thoſe Terms; which if he ſhould, the Diſtinction of His and the Williamite Party would ſoon have an End, […]"

  2. 2
    Of or relating to the reign of William III of England from 1689 to 1702.; Of architecture or furnishings: of the style of that period. historical

    "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."

  3. 3
    Of or relating to the reign of William III of England from 1689 to 1702.; Of glassware: bearing a portrait or emblem of him, as an indication of anti-Jacobite sentiments. historical, not-comparable

    "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."

Example

More examples

"We fought for the royal Stuarts that reneged us against the Williamites and they betrayed us."

Etymology

From William + -ite.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.