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

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.

Example Sentences

For investors backing AI infrastructure unicorns with Gulf sovereign capital backing them, this is a risk that is priced in.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

While policymakers have touted a recovery from the brink of sovereign default three years ago, people say macroeconomic stability has not translated to better opportunities.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

In January, QXO raised $1.8 billion in acquisition financing from a deal led by Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek and Apollo Global Management.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Romy Madley Croft became a sapphic-nightlife sovereign in 2023 with the clubby “Mid Air,” after Sim’s own minimalist, horror-streaked “Hideous Bastard.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

I had been here before, as a week-old infant brought to meet my sovereign, but not since.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

Related Words

• absolute
• autonomous
• unlimited