sovereign
Americannoun
-
sovereigns
plural
-
a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.
-
a person who has supreme power or authority.
-
a group or body of persons or a state having sovereign authority.
- Synonyms:
- government
-
a gold coin of the United Kingdom, equal to one pound sterling: went out of circulation after 1914.
adjective
-
belonging to or characteristic of a sovereign or sovereign authority; royal.
-
having supreme rank, power, or authority.
-
supreme; preeminent; indisputable.
a sovereign right.
- Synonyms:
- predominant, principal, paramount, chief
-
greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.
-
being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc.
-
efficacious; potent.
a sovereign remedy.
noun
-
a person exercising supreme authority, esp a monarch
-
a former British gold coin worth one pound sterling
adjective
-
supreme in rank or authority
a sovereign lord
-
excellent or outstanding
a sovereign remedy
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of a sovereign
-
independent of outside authority
a sovereign state
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonsovereignnoun
-
subsovereignnoun
-
undersovereignnoun
-
quasi-sovereignadjective
-
supersovereignadjective
-
unsovereignadjective
-
nonsovereignlyadverb
-
sovereignlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Explanation
Put simply, your sovereign is your king or queen. George III was the sovereign of Great Britain and her colonies — including the American ones. At least he was until a little thing called the Revolutionary War upset everything. Sovereign as an adjective can be used to indicate the ultimate power of a state, whether a monarchy or not, as in "Peru exercised its sovereign rights to all minerals within its borders." A sovereign is also a British gold coin with a face value of one pound sterling (with the monarch's face on it). But don't sell it for a pound, because it's worth its weight in gold — quite literally — which is a lot more than a pound is worth.
Vocabulary lists containing sovereign
"On Women's Right to Vote" by Susan B. Anthony
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
American Born Chinese
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Chains
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Treasury yields were also comparable to or lower than other sovereign bonds when hedged into dollars, but have been generally higher since the pandemic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Zambia had the dubious distinction of being Africa’s first pandemic-era sovereign defaulter when he assumed office in 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
As the court in Barbara explained, birthright citizenship launches a reciprocal relationship between a person and the sovereign.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Zambia became Africa's first sovereign default of the Covid era in 2020 after years of heavy borrowing and a collapse in commodity revenues.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
"A golden sovereign, a silver sixpence, a copper penny, and a fresh shiny farthing," said the man.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
Normally a potential reluctance among those three sovereigns to buy U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
One-time “fragile five” sovereigns like South Africa or Turkey have gotten their houses substantially in order in recent years.
From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026
Tim Ash, senior strategist at RBC Bluebay Asset Management, pointed out in a posting on X, that sovereigns do not request swap lines lightly.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 20, 2026
The group will work with McCormick “on partnering with governments and sovereigns to build, deploy, invest in, and finance Meta’s infrastructure,” said Zuckerberg in a Facebook post.
From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026
There is a reward of one thousand sovereigns for giving her up to them.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
