What does palatial mean?
Word: Palatial
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Palatial means very large and splendid, as if built for a king or queen.
Synonyms: grand, magnificent
Antonyms: modest
How do you spell palatial?
Syllables: pa - la - tial
Tricky part: The sh sound near the end is spelt with a t. The grand building this adjective comes from is spelt with a c, so pupils carry that c across and write palacial.
Watch out for: palacial, palasial
Memory tip: Put on a crown and chant: initial, partial, palatial. A row of three, each hiding its sh behind a t.
Palatial in a sentence
Example 1: The new hotel in Jaipur has a palatial lobby with marble floors and huge chandeliers.
Example 2: We gasped at the palatial drawing room in the old house.
Example 3: After years in a small flat, their new house felt almost palatial.
Fun Fact
Ancient Rome had seven famous hills, and the emperors built their homes on one of them. That hill's name became the Latin word for a royal home, and this adjective grew from it.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
pallatial
a) i
b) t
c) l
d) a
Show answer
c) l. The l after the opening vowel stays single, and the stress falls on the next syllable.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The film star's atlaliap home by the sea has twenty rooms and a ballroom.
a) palatial
b) parental
c) partial
d) pictorial
Show answer
a) palatial. Twenty rooms and a ballroom point to great size, and the three a's in the letters settle it.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. palatial 2. plateau 3. amateur 4. souvenier
a) fit for royalty in size and splendour
b) a wide, flat area of high land
c) someone who does an activity for pleasure, not pay
d) a small object kept to remember a place
Show answer
d) a small object kept to remember a place. Souvenir ends in ir, with no e before it.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word palatial as used in the sentence:
Rohan's uncle sold his palatial home in the hills and retired to the coast.
a) lavish
b) spacious
c) humble
d) stately
Show answer
c) humble. A humble home is small and plain, nothing like the one in the sentence.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these could fairly be called palatial?
a) a marble mansion with sweeping staircases
b) a bamboo hut beside a paddy field
c) a two-room flat above a small shop
d) a wooden shed behind the railway yard
Show answer
a) a marble mansion with sweeping staircases
2. An estate agent who calls a flat palatial wants buyers to imagine ____
a) quiet roads and good schools
b) low bills and easy repairs
c) fresh paint and new taps
d) space, comfort and grandeur
Show answer
d) space, comfort and grandeur
