rial

1 of 6

noun (1)

ri·​al rē-ˈȯl How to pronounce rial (audio)
-ˈäl
variants or less commonly riyal
: the basic monetary unit of Iran, Oman, and Yemen see Money Table

rial

2 of 6

noun (2)

ri·​al

less common spelling of riyal

: the basic monetary unit of Qatar and Saudi Arabia see Money Table

riyal

3 of 6

noun (3)

ri·​yal rē-ˈyäl How to pronounce riyal (audio)
-ˈyal
variants or less commonly rial
: the basic monetary unit of Qatar and Saudi Arabia see Money Table

riyal

4 of 6

noun (4)

ri·​yal

less common spelling of rial

: the basic monetary unit of Iran, Oman, and Yemen see Money Table

ryal

5 of 6

noun (5)

ry·​al
variants or less commonly rial
ˈrī(ə)l How to pronounce ryal (audio)
plural -s
1
: rose noble
2
: one of two Scottish coins:
a
: a gold coin equivalent to 60 shillings or 3 pounds issued by Mary Queen of Scots (16th century)
b
: a silver coin worth 30 shillings issued by Mary and James VI (16th and 17th centuries)
3
: a monetary unit of Zanzibar used until 1908 and equal to 136 pysa

ryal

6 of 6

variant spelling of real

Examples of rial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Iran’s currency, the rial, has plummeted since the United States and Israel launched the war on Iran in February. — Erika Solomon, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 But a jab this year is going for 22 million rials, or roughly $9, which is almost double last year’s price, though authorities have promised to provide it to high-risk patients free of charge. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
Prize money has quadrupled since the Saudi Women’s Premier League launched in 2022, and Riyadh’s Al-Nassr club took home 2 million riyals ($531,000) for last season’s title. — semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026 For a roughly 6 to 7 percent fee on the transaction, some Azerbaijani banks will accept a transfer from a client who wishes to move Saudi riyals or Emirati dirhams totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. — Matthew Cole, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rial

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Persian, from Arabic riyāl riyal

Noun (3)

Arabic riyāl, from Spanish real real

Noun (5)

Middle English, from ryal, rial royal

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1930, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1856, in the meaning defined above

Noun (5)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rial was in the 15th century

Rhymes for rial

See All Rhymes for rial

Browse Nearby Words

RIA
rial
rialto
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rial. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rial

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rial

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