sovereign

[sov-rin, sov-er-in, suhv-]

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.

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

/ 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

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

4. independent of outside authority

   a sovereign state

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sovereign¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sovereign¹

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

Example Sentences

“Brazil is a sovereign country with independent institutions, and it will not take orders from anyone,” da Silva said in July after calling an emergency cabinet meeting.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But that deal also came under scrutiny from human rights and freedom of expression groups over links between RedBird's chair and China's largest sovereign wealth fund.

Read more on Barron's

“The key point is whether we can continue to be Ukrainians, and keep our national identity and our national sovereign state,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But that didn’t stop Dimon, the de facto king of Wall Street, from toasting the nation and its sovereign.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He proposed joint energy projects in the Arctic, and suggested partnering Russia's sovereign wealth fund with US companies in developing rare earth deposits.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• absolute 
• autonomous 
• unlimited