sovereign

1 of 2

noun

sov·​er·​eign ˈsä-v(ə-)rən How to pronounce sovereign (audio)
-vərn,
 also  ˈsə-
variants or less commonly sovran
1
a
: one possessing or held to possess supreme political power or sovereignty
b
: one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere
c
: an acknowledged leader : arbiter
2
: any of various gold coins of the United Kingdom

sovereign

2 of 2

adjective

sov·​er·​eign ˈsä-v(ə-)rən How to pronounce sovereign (audio)
-vərn,
 also  ˈsə-
variants or less commonly sovran
1
a
: superlative in quality
b
: of the most exalted kind : supreme
sovereign virtue
c
: having generalized curative powers
a sovereign remedy
d
: of an unqualified nature : unmitigated
sovereign contempt
e
: having undisputed ascendancy : paramount
2
a
: possessed of supreme power
a sovereign ruler
b
: unlimited in extent : absolute
c
: enjoying autonomy : independent
sovereign states
3
: relating to, characteristic of, or befitting a supreme ruler : royal
a sovereign right
sovereignly adverb

Did you know?

Sovereign Power

Sovereign has everything to do with power. It often describes a person who has supreme power or authority, such as a king or queen. God is described as "sovereign" in a number of Bible translations. In addition to describing ones who have power, the word sovereign also often describes power: to have sovereign power is to have absolute power—that is, power that cannot be checked by anyone or anything. Nations and states are also sometimes described as "sovereign." This means that they have power over themselves; their government is under their own control, rather than under the control of an outside authority.

Sovereign can also be a synonym of supreme as in "of the most exalted kind." In that case, the power is figurative rather than literal.

Choose the Right Synonym for sovereign

free, independent, sovereign, autonomous mean not subject to the rule or control of another.

free stresses the complete absence of external rule and the full right to make all of one's own decisions.

you're free to do as you like

independent implies a standing alone; applied to a state it implies lack of connection with any other having power to interfere with its citizens, laws, or policies.

the colony's struggle to become independent

sovereign stresses the absence of a superior power and implies supremacy within a thing's own domain or sphere.

separate and sovereign armed services

autonomous stresses independence in matters pertaining to self-government.

in this denomination each congregation is regarded as autonomous

Examples of sovereign in a Sentence

Noun Ricky Martin, sovereign of Latin pop culture, is back. Raquel Cepeda, Vibe, May 1999
During these two centuries the throne of Scotland was occupied by no more than seven sovereigns of only four different generations. G. W. S. Barrow, The Anglo-Norman Era In Scottish History, 1980
after the current sovereign dies, the monarchy may be abolished Adjective Local officials and a huge and enthusiastic crowd greeted Napoleon at the Portoferraio harbor. The Allies had granted him the title of Emperor of Elba, which was to be a sovereign state under his jurisdiction. David Pryce-Jones, National Review, 4 July 2005
If Cleopatra VII used her own personality more like Elizabeth I than Elizabeth II, she seems to have had the latter Elizabeth's sovereign sense of duty—as well as her fertility: With a dispatch usually associated with the gods, Cleopatra bore Caesar a son called Caesarion—"little Caesar"—in 47 B.C.E., the year after they met (she was twenty-one, he fifty-two). Ingrid D. Rowland, New Republic, 1 & 8 April 2002
the sovereign power of a king The government's sovereign duty is to protect the rights of its citizens.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The King’s attendance for the event on June 15 – which is also known as the sovereign’s birthday parade – remains listed on the website where the public can enter an online ballot for tickets. Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 The first contains standard coins symbolizing a gift from the sovereign for food and clothing, and the second is filled with Maundy coins amounting to the monarch’s age, the royal family’s website said. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 Five regents, including Toranaga, have been entrusted to maintain peace while keeping the royal seat warm for their deceased sovereign’s sole heir, who has yet to come of age. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Here was the collision of two utterly separate worlds, one represented by an emissary of the emperor Charles V and the other by the absolute sovereign of a vast and sprawling collective of Mexica peoples. Sam Sacks, WSJ, 12 Jan. 2024 Investitures recognize outstanding achievement, personal bravery or services to the U.K., and the ceremonies are held throughout the year to celebrate those named to the New Year Honors List or the sovereign’s Birthday Honors list. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 7 Feb. 2024 Or should Britons gird themselves for the passing of another sovereign? Mark Landler, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024 Take the nosiness of the endeavor as a whole: Trying to humanize a sovereign who saw it as her duty to fade into the office is (in context) more than intrusive; the effort to render her psychologically legible doubles as an effort to destroy her life’s work. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023 The sovereign signed the document with her two immediate heirs, Frederik, 55, and Christian, 18, beside her, signaling their place in the new reign. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 29 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Its struggles led to speculation last year that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, which holds about 60% of the EV maker, would acquire the rest of it. Steve Mollman, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2024 Kenai Therapeutics closed a $82 million Series A round Thursday co-led by Cure Ventures, The Column Group, and sovereign wealth fund Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. Allison Deangelis, STAT, 29 Feb. 2024 The carrier is fully owned by the Public Investment Fund, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 28 Feb. 2024 Mainland media noted that UBS is reporting the National Team, long-term/institutional investors aligned with the government, such as the Social Security Fund and sovereign wealth fund Central Huijin, has invested $57 billion in China’s Mainland stock market so far this year. Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Finland, with its long border with Russia, saw the most imminent danger; the Swedes did too, but were also convinced, especially on the political left, by a sense of moral outrage that Russia, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, would seek to destroy a peaceful, sovereign neighbor. Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 Norway’s sovereign wealth fund said earlier this year that booming demand for these drugs could lead to the first $ 1 trillion pharmaceutical companies. Bruce Gil, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024 Ukraine will confront the same obstacles faced by sovereign nations and the families of Holocaust victims, such as tracing the provenance of property back to Ukraine. Howard N. Spiegler, Fortune Europe, 23 Feb. 2024 And that bully in the Kremlin — Russian President Vladimir Putin — must not be allowed to rewrite the rules of the road and dismiss Ukraine’s rights as a sovereign nation, redraw borders and flout international law. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sovereign.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English soverain, from Anglo-French soverein, from soverein, adjective — see sovereign entry 2

Adjective

Middle English soverain, from Anglo-French soverein, from Vulgar Latin *superanus, from Latin super over, above — more at over

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of sovereign was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sovereign

Cite this Entry

“Sovereign.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sovereign. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sovereign

1 of 2 noun
sov·​er·​eign ˈsäv-(ə-)rən How to pronounce sovereign (audio)
ˈsäv-ərn,
ˈsəv-
1
: a person, body of persons, or a state possessing sovereignty
especially : a monarch exercising supreme authority in a state
2
: an old British gold coin

sovereign

2 of 2 adjective
1
: chief entry 1 sense 2, highest
a citizen's sovereign duty
2
: supreme in power or authority
a sovereign ruler
3
: politically independent : autonomous
a sovereign state

Medical Definition

sovereign

adjective
sov·​er·​eign ˈsäv-(ə-)rən How to pronounce sovereign (audio)
: having generalized curative powers
a sovereign remedy

Legal Definition

sovereign

1 of 2 noun
sov·​er·​eign
ˈsä-vrən, ˈsə-, -və-rən
: a person or political entity (as a nation or state) possessing or held to possess sovereignty
the doctrine that a sovereign could not be sued without its consent was universal in the States when the Constitution was draftedAlden v. Maine, 527 U.S. 706 (1999)
see also sovereign immunity at immunity

sovereign

2 of 2 adjective
1
: having supreme power
a sovereign ruler
2
: enjoying autonomy
sovereign states
3
: relating to, characteristic of, or befitting a sovereign

More from Merriam-Webster on sovereign

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