sovereign

American  

[sov-rin, sov-er-in, suhv-] / ˈsɒv rɪn, ˈsɒv ər ɪn, ˈsʌv- /

noun

1. a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.

   Synonyms:

   potentate, empress, emperor

2. a person who has supreme power or authority.

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

   Synonyms:

   government

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

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adjective

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

   Synonyms:

   queenly, kingly, monarchical, princely, imperial, majestic, regal

2. having supreme rank, power, or authority.

3. supreme; preeminent; indisputable.

   a sovereign right.

   Synonyms:

   predominant, principal, paramount, chief

4. greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.

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

6. efficacious; potent.

   a sovereign remedy.

   Synonyms:

   effectual, effective

sovereign British  

/ ˈsɒvrɪn /

noun

1. a person exercising supreme authority, esp a monarch

2. a former British gold coin worth one pound sterling

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adjective

1. supreme in rank or authority

   a sovereign lord

2. excellent or outstanding

   a sovereign remedy

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

4. independent of outside authority

   a sovereign state

Other Word Forms

• nonsovereign noun
• nonsovereignly adverb
• quasi-sovereign adjective
• sovereignly adverb
• subsovereign noun
• supersovereign adjective
• undersovereign noun
• unsovereign adjective

Etymology

Origin of sovereign

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

Example Sentences

Oil hovered close to $100 a barrel, pushing U.S. futures and global stocks lower and sovereign debt yields higher.

From The Wall Street Journal

These embassy spaces are not sovereign territory in the full sense but are another zone of exemption, which the host country cannot enter without permission from the diplomatic mission.

From Salon

“Rare-earth metals represents one of the biggest geopolitical challenges that exists in the world today. Supply-chain security and sovereign risk are areas that we think we can play in,” Riley said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The slide in oil prices eased energy inflation fears, cooling sovereign bond yields across the globe.

From The Wall Street Journal

“While there is significant uncertainty about the duration of the conflict, we expect broader economic effects to be modest,” said Dan Shaykevich, head of emerging markets and sovereign debt at Vanguard.

From Barron's

Related Words

• absolute
• autonomous
• unlimited