Definition of SOVEREIGN (original) (raw)
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
1
a
: superlative in quality
b
: of the most exalted kind : supreme
c
: having generalized curative powers
2
a
: possessed of supreme power
3
: relating to, characteristic of, or befitting a supreme ruler : royal
Did you know?
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.
Synonyms
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
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.
The crux of the problem is that the Constitution explicitly grants power to both federal and state governments – but the founders did not specify what to do if the two sovereigns disagree or how any ensuing struggle should be resolved. —Claire B. Wofford, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2025 The sovereign visited his daughter-in-law before his own procedure, and they were discharged a few days apart. —Janine Henni, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025
Here are the risks and rewards, according to a strategist Share Donald Trump wants a sovereign wealth fund. —Jackie Snow, Quartz, 8 Feb. 2025 Catch up quick: Saudi Arabia's sovereign Public Investment Fund, or PIF, is Lucid's majority shareholder and backed the company early on and most recently with $1.5 billion last year. —Katie Fehrenbacher, Axios, 6 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for sovereign 
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 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 10 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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