sovereignty

American  

[sov-rin-tee, suhv-] / ˈsɒv rɪn ti, ˈsʌv- /

noun

sovereignties plural

1. the quality or state of being sovereign, or of having supreme power or authority.

2. the status, dominion, power, or authority of a sovereign; royal rank or position; royalty.

3. supreme and independent power or authority in government as possessed or claimed by a state or community.

4. rightful status, independence, or prerogative.

5. a sovereign or independent state, community, or political unit.

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sovereignty British  

/ ˈsɒvrəntɪ /

noun

1. supreme and unrestricted power, as of a state

2. the position, dominion, or authority of a sovereign

3. an independent state

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sovereignty Cultural  

1. A nation or state's supreme power within its borders. A government might respond, for example, to criticism from foreign governments of its treatment of its own citizens by citing its rights of sovereignty.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-sovereignty
  noun
• supersovereignty
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• sovereignties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sovereignty

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English soverainte, from Anglo-French sovereynete, from Old French soverainete, equivalent to soverain sovereign + -ete -ty ²

Explanation

Sovereignty can describe the power of one state or thing over another or the freedom a state or thing has to control itself. Look closely at the word sovereignty, and you will see it is all about who reigns, or rules. Although sovereignty is usually used in a political sense — particularly the power of nations, it can be used to describe personal control as well: If your mother insists upon your wearing wool hats in summertime, you might declare complete sovereignty over your wardrobe. The word is also occasionally used for the power of royalty, like a queen.

Example Sentences

To excavate biblical Palestine was, in his mind, to restore Jewish sovereignty over the Jewish story.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

The EU’s executive arm outlined a tech sovereignty package with policies targeting a range of tech infrastructure, from semiconductors to cloud services, data centers and AI.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

EU tech tsar Henna Virkkunen will unveil the new "technological sovereignty" package in Brussels, including new rules on chips, cloud computing and AI.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

She has decried revelations of the recent participation of CIA officials in a raid on a drug lab in northern Chihuahua state, saying it was a breach of sovereignty.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

In its most familiar form, dominant in the nineteenth century, the tension assumes a constitutional appearance as a conflict between state and federal sovereignty.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• dominance
• jurisdiction
• supremacy