Tiara vs. Crown — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 30, 2023
A tiara is a decorative, semi-circular headpiece, while a crown is a traditional, often full circular symbol of royalty or power.
Difference Between Tiara and Crown
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A Tiara is primarily a decorative headpiece, often worn by women for special occasions, whereas a Crown serves as a symbolic ornament, representing authority, leadership, or monarchy.
While Tiaras are commonly associated with elegance, beauty, and are often seen adorned by brides or beauty queens, Crowns are emblematic of sovereignty, typically worn by kings, queens, or other royal figures.
The design of a Tiara tends to be semi-circular, fitting the front part of the head, while a Crown usually encompasses the entire head, forming a complete circle.
It's not uncommon to see Tiaras being gifted or worn as a mere accessory, but Crowns are often passed down as heirlooms, symbolizing the continuity of a dynasty or lineage.
Historically, while both Tiaras and Crowns have been made of precious metals and gemstones, the significance of a Crown in terms of governance and rule far outweighs the aesthetic appeal of a Tiara.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Purpose
Decorative
Symbolic of authority or royalty
Worn By
Women (e.g., brides, beauty queens)
Royals (e.g., kings, queens)
Design
Semi-circular, front headpiece
Often full circle, encompassing the entire head
Symbolism
Beauty, elegance
Sovereignty, power, leadership
Historical Importance
Seen as an accessory
Represents continuity of a dynasty or rulership
Compare with Definitions
Tiara
An ornamental accessory often adorned with jewels.
The tiara glistened under the lights.
Crown
A representation of authority or leadership.
The crown signifies the reign of the monarch.
Tiara
A semi-circular decorative headpiece.
She wore a sparkling tiara on her wedding day.
Crown
A top or highest part of something, especially one forming a point.
The crown of the hill offers a panoramic view.
Tiara
A symbol of elegance and beauty.
The tiara added a touch of sophistication to her look.
Crown
A circular ornamental headdress worn by a monarch as a symbol of authority, usually made of or decorated with precious metals and jewels.
Tiara
A head ornament for special occasions.
The beauty queen was awarded a tiara.
Crown
The top or highest part of something
The crown of the hill
Tiara
A tiara (from Latin: tiara, from Ancient Greek: τιάρα) is a jeweled, ornamental crown traditionally worn by women. It is worn during formal occasions, particularly if the dress code is white tie.
Crown
The part of a tooth projecting from the gum
A thin layer of enamel covers the crown
Tiara
An ornamental, often jeweled, crownlike semicircle worn on the head, especially by women on formal occasions.
Crown
A British coin with a face value of five shillings or 25 pence, now minted only for commemorative purposes.
Tiara
The triple crown historically worn by the pope, especially at his coronation ceremony, and still used heraldically as a symbol of the papacy.
Crown
A paper size, 384 × 504 mm.
Tiara
The papal crown.
Crown
Ceremonially place a crown on the head of (someone) in order to invest them as a monarch
He went to Rome to be crowned
She was crowned queen in 1953
Tiara
An ornamental coronet.
Crown
Rest on or form the top of
The distant knoll was crowned with trees
Tiara
A form of headdress worn by the ancient Persians. According to Xenophon, the royal tiara was encircled with a diadem, and was high and erect, while those of the people were flexible, or had rims turned over.
Crown
Be the triumphant culmination of (an effort or endeavour, especially a prolonged one)
Years of struggle were crowned by a state visit to Paris
Tiara
The pope's triple crown. It was at first a round, high cap, but was afterward encompassed with a crown, subsequently with a second, and finally with a third. Fig.: The papal dignity.
Crown
Fit a crown to (a tooth)
Simple fillings no longer suffice and the tooth has to be crowned
Tiara
A crown-like jewelled headdress worn by women on formal occasions
Crown
Hit on the head
She contained the urge to crown him
Tiara
A feminine head adornment.
The princess chose a tiara over a hat.
Crown
(of a baby's head during labour) fully appear in the vaginal opening prior to emerging
I was able to see our baby's head crowning
Crown
An ornamental circlet or head covering, often made of precious metal set with jewels and worn as a symbol of sovereignty.
Crown
The power, position, or empire of a monarch or of a state governed by constitutional monarchy.
Crown
The monarch as head of state.
Crown
A distinction or reward for achievement, especially a title signifying championship in a sport.
Crown
Something resembling a diadem in shape.
Crown
A coin stamped with a crown or crowned head on one side.
Crown
Abbr. cr. A silver coin formerly used in Great Britain and worth five shillings.
Crown
Any one of several coins, such as the koruna, the krona, or the krone, having a name that means “crown.”
Crown
The top or highest part of the head.
Crown
The head itself.
Crown
The top or upper part of a hat.
Crown
The highest point or summit.
Crown
The highest, primary, or most valuable part, attribute, or state
Considered the rare Turkish stamp the crown of their collection.
Crown
The part of a tooth that is covered by enamel and projects beyond the gum line.
Crown
An artificial substitute for the natural crown of a tooth.
Crown
(Nautical) The lowest part of an anchor, where the arms are joined to the shank.
Crown
(Architecture) The highest portion of an arch, including the keystone.
Crown
The upper, spreading part of a tree or shrub.
Crown
The part of a plant, usually at ground level, where the stem and roots merge.
Crown
The persistent, mostly underground base of a perennial herb.
Crown
See corona.
Crown
The crest of an animal, especially of a bird.
Crown
The portion of a cut gem above the girdle.
Crown
To put a crown or garland on the head of.
Crown
To invest with regal power; enthrone.
Crown
To confer honor, dignity, or reward upon.
Crown
To surmount or be the highest part of.
Crown
To form the crown, top, or chief ornament of.
Crown
To bring to completion or successful conclusion; consummate
Crowned the event with a lavish reception.
Crown
(Dentistry) To put a crown on (a tooth).
Crown
(Games) To make (a piece in checkers that has reached the last row) into a king by placing another piece upon it.
Crown
(Informal) To hit on the head.
Crown
To reach a stage in labor when a large segment of the fetal scalp is visible at the vaginal orifice. Used of a fetus.
Crown
A royal, imperial or princely headdress; a diadem.
Crown
A wreath or band for the head, especially one given as reward of victory or a mark of honor.
Crown
(by extension) Any reward of victory or mark of honor.
The martyr’s crown
Crown
Imperial or regal power, or those who wield it.
Crown
(metonym) The sovereign (in a monarchy), as head of state.
Crown
The state, the government (headed by a monarch).
Treasure recovered from shipwrecks automatically becomes property of the Crown.
Crown
The top part of something:
Crown
The topmost part of the head.
Crown
The highest part of a hill.
Crown
The top section of a hat, above the brim.
Crown
The raised centre of a road.
Crown
The highest part of an arch.
Crown
The upper range of facets in a rose diamond.
Crown
The dome of a furnace.
Crown
The upper part of certain fruits, as the pineapple or strawberry, that is removed before eating.
Crown
(architecture) A kind of spire or lantern formed by converging flying buttresses.
Crown
Splendor; culmination; acme.
Crown
Any currency (originally) issued by the crown (regal power) and often bearing a crown (headdress); (translation) various currencies known by similar names in their native languages, such as the koruna, kruna, krone, korona.
Crown
(historical) A former pre-decimalization British coin worth five shillings.
Crown
(botany) The part of a plant where the root and stem meet.
Crown
(forestry) The top of a tree.
Crown
The part of a tooth above the gums.
Crown
(dentistry) A prosthetic covering for a tooth.
Crown
(nautical) A knot formed in the end of a rope by tucking in the strands to prevent them from unravelling
Crown
(nautical) The part of an anchor where the arms and the shank meet
Crown
(nautical) The rounding, or rounded part, of the deck from a level line.
Crown
(paper) In England, a standard size of printing paper measuring 20 × 15 inches.
Crown
(paper) In American, a standard size of writing paper measuring 19 × 15 inches.
Crown
(chemistry) A monocyclic ligand having three or more binding sites, capable of holding a guest in a central location
Crown
(medical) During childbirth, the appearance of the baby's head from the mother's vagina
Crown
(firearms) A rounding or smoothing of the barrel opening
Crown
(geometry) The area enclosed between two concentric perimeters.
Crown
(religion) A round spot shaved clean on the top of the head, as a mark of the clerical state; the tonsure.
Crown
A whole bird with the legs and wings removed to produce a joint of white meat.
Crown
A formal hat worn by women to Sunday church services; a church crown.
Crown
The knurled knob or dial, on the outside of a watch case, used to wind it or adjust the hands.
Crown
Of, related to, or pertaining to a crown.
Crown prince
Crown
Of, related to, pertaining to the top of a tree or trees.
A crown fire
Crown
To place a crown on the head of.
Crown
To formally declare (someone) a king, queen, emperor, etc.
Crown
To bestow something upon as a mark of honour, dignity, or recompense; to adorn; to dignify.
Crown
To form the topmost or finishing part of; to complete; to consummate; to perfect.
Crown
To declare (someone) a winner.
Crown
(medicine) Of a baby, during the birthing process; for the surface of the baby's head to appear in the vaginal opening.
The mother was in the second stage of labor and the fetus had just crowned, prompting a round of encouragement from the midwives.
Crown
(transitive) To cause to round upward; to make anything higher at the middle than at the edges, such as the face of a machine pulley.
Crown
To hit on the head.
Crown
(video games) To shoot an opponent in the back of the head with a shotgun in a first-person shooter video game.
Crown
(board games) In checkers, to stack two checkers to indicate that the piece has become a king.
“Crown me!” I said, as I moved my checker to the back row.
Crown
(firearms) To widen the opening of the barrel.
Crown
(military) To effect a lodgment upon, as upon the crest of the glacis, or the summit of the breach.
Crown
(nautical) To lay the ends of the strands of (a knot) over and under each other.
Crown
(slang) being about to take a poop (usually trying to hold it in, derived from obstetric use: metaphor of "giving birth" to solid poo)
Crown
(archaic) crow
Crown
A wreath or garland, or any ornamental fillet encircling the head, especially as a reward of victory or mark of honorable distinction; hence, anything given on account of, or obtained by, faithful or successful effort; a reward.
They do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Crown
A royal headdress or cap of sovereignty, worn by emperors, kings, princes, etc.
Crown
The person entitled to wear a regal or imperial crown; the sovereign; - with the definite article.
Parliament may be dissolved by the demise of the crown.
Large arrears of pay were due to the civil and military servants of the crown.
Crown
Imperial or regal power or dominion; sovereignty.
There is a power behind the crown greater than the crown itself.
Crown
Anything which imparts beauty, splendor, honor, dignity, or finish.
The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband.
Crown
Highest state; acme; consummation; perfection.
Mutual love, the crown of all our bliss.
Crown
The topmost part of anything; the summit.
The steepy crown of the bare mountains.
Crown
The topmost part of the head (see Illust. of Bird.); that part of the head from which the hair descends toward the sides and back; also, the head or brain.
From toe to crown he'll fill our skin with pinches.
Twenty things which I set down:This done, I twenty more-had in my crown.
Crown
The part of a hat above the brim.
Crown
The part of a tooth which projects above the gum; also, the top or grinding surface of a tooth.
Crown
The vertex or top of an arch; - applied generally to about one third of the curve, but in a pointed arch to the apex only.
Crown
Same as Corona.
Crown
That part of an anchor where the arms are joined to the shank.
Crown
The upper range of facets in a rose diamond.
Crown
The dome of a furnace.
Crown
The area inclosed between two concentric perimeters.
Crown
A round spot shaved clean on the top of the head, as a mark of the clerical state; the tonsure.
Crown
A size of writing paper. See under Paper.
Crown
A coin stamped with the image of a crown; hence,a denomination of money; as, the English crown, a silver coin of the value of five shillings sterling, or a little more than $1.20; the Danish or Norwegian crown, a money of account, etc., worth nearly twenty-seven cents.
Crown
An ornaments or decoration representing a crown; as, the paper is stamped with a crown.
Crown
To cover, decorate, or invest with a crown; hence, to invest with royal dignity and power.
Her who fairest does appear,Crown her queen of all the year.
Crown him, and say, "Long live our emperor."
Crown
To bestow something upon as a mark of honor, dignity, or recompense; to adorn; to dignify.
Thou . . . hast crowned him with glory and honor.
Crown
To form the topmost or finishing part of; to complete; to consummate; to perfect.
Amidst the grove that crowns yon tufted hill.
One day shall crown the alliance.
To crown the whole, came a proposition.
Crown
To cause to round upward; to make anything higher at the middle than at the edges, as the face of a machine pulley.
Crown
To effect a lodgment upon, as upon the crest of the glacis, or the summit of the breach.
Crown
The Crown (or the reigning monarch) as the symbol of the power and authority of a monarchy;
The colonies revolted against the Crown
Crown
The enamel covered part of a tooth above the gum
Crown
A wreath or garland worn on the head to signify victory
Crown
An ornamental jewelled headdress signifying sovereignty
Crown
The part of a hat (the vertex) covering the crown of the head
Crown
An English coin worth 5 shillings
Crown
The upper branches and leaves of a tree
Crown
The top point of a mountain or hill;
The view from the peak was magnificent
They clambered to the summit of Monadnock
Crown
The award given to the champion
Crown
The top of the head
Crown
The center of a cambered road
Crown
Invest with regal power; enthrone;
The prince was crowned in Westminster Abbey
Crown
Be the culminating event;
The speech crowned the meeting
Crown
Form the topmost part of;
A weather vane crowns the building
Crown
Put an enamel cover on;
Crown my teeth
Crown
A traditional symbol of royalty or power.
The king's crown was made of gold and diamonds.
Crown
A circular ornamental headdress worn by monarchs.
The crown was passed down through generations.
Crown
To award or bestow a championship or honor.
The team was crowned champions.
Common Curiosities
Can men wear Tiaras?
While traditionally worn by women, anyone can wear a tiara as a decorative accessory.
What is a Tiara?
A tiara is a decorative, semi-circular headpiece, often worn by women.
Why might someone wear a Tiara?
For special occasions like weddings, pageants, or formal events.
What does a Crown represent?
A crown symbolizes royalty, authority, and leadership.
Are all Crowns made of gold?
No, crowns can be made of various materials, but many historic crowns are gold with gemstones.
Who usually wears a Crown?
Typically, kings, queens, and other members of royalty.
Can a Crown be decorative?
Yes, while symbolic, crowns can also be ornate and decorative.
Do Tiaras have historical significance?
They have cultural and fashion significance but not as much historical weight as crowns.
Can a Tiara be a Crown?
While similar, they have different designs and purposes; however, some might use the terms interchangeably.
Can a Crown be semi-circular?
Crowns are usually full circles, but designs can vary.
Are Tiaras always made of precious stones?
No, they can be simple or elaborate, with or without stones.
Is a Tiara a type of hat?
No, it's a headpiece, distinct from hats or caps.
Is a Tiara a symbol of royalty?
Not necessarily, it's more a symbol of beauty and elegance.
Is a Crown only a headpiece?
Primarily yes, but "crown" can also refer to the top of something or a point of achievement.
Who can be "crowned"?
Apart from monarchs, winners of competitions or those achieving a distinction can be "crowned."
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
