A czarina (also spelled tsarina) is the title for the empress or wife of a czar, the ruler of Russia before the Russian Revolution in 1917. Just as a queen might rule alongside a king in other countries, a czarina held a position of great power and influence in the Russian Empire.

The most famous czarina was probably Catherine the Great, who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796. Though she started as the wife of Czar Peter III, she became one of Russia's most powerful and successful rulers in her own right, expanding the empire and supporting the arts and education.

The last czarina was Alexandra, wife of Czar Nicholas II. She and her family were overthrown during the Russian Revolution, which ended the czar system forever. Today, Russia has no czars or czarinas, but the word reminds us of a time when emperors and empresses ruled vast empires with absolute authority.

People sometimes use czarina playfully to describe a woman who acts like she's in charge of everything, like calling the confident captain of a debate team “the czarina of arguments.”