sovereign

[ sov-rin, sov-er-in, suhv- ]
See synonyms for sovereign on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.

  2. a person who has supreme power or authority.

  1. a group or body of persons or a state having sovereign authority.

  2. a gold coin of the United Kingdom, equal to one pound sterling: went out of circulation after 1914.

adjective
  1. belonging to or characteristic of a sovereign or sovereign authority; royal.

  2. having supreme rank, power, or authority.

  1. supreme; preeminent; indisputable: a sovereign right.

  2. greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.

  3. being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc.

  4. efficacious; potent: a sovereign remedy.

Origin of sovereign

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English soverain, altered by influence of reign, from Old French soverain, from Vulgar Latin superānus (unrecorded), equivalent to Latin super- super- + -ānus -an

Other words for sovereign

Other words from sovereign

  • sov·er·eign·ly, adverb
  • non·sov·er·eign, noun, adjective
  • non·sov·er·eign·ly, adverb
  • qua·si-sov·er·eign, adjective
  • sub·sov·er·eign, noun, adjective
  • su·per·sov·er·eign, adjective, noun
  • un·der·sov·er·eign, noun
  • un·sov·er·eign, adjective

Words Nearby sovereign

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sovereign in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sovereign

sovereign

/ (ˈsɒvrɪn) /


noun
  1. a person exercising supreme authority, esp a monarch

  2. a former British gold coin worth one pound sterling

adjective
  1. supreme in rank or authority: a sovereign lord

  2. excellent or outstanding: a sovereign remedy

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a sovereign

  2. independent of outside authority: a sovereign state

Origin of sovereign

1
C13: from Old French soverain, from Vulgar Latin superānus (unattested), from Latin super above; also influenced by reign

Derived forms of sovereign

  • sovereignly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012