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

That includes sovereign securities with tenors of more than 1 year and up to 3 years, tenors of more than 5 years and up to 10, and tenors of more than 25 years.

From The Wall Street Journal

The government said the decision was "sovereign" and in line with the upcoming Holy Week in the Christian calendar.

From BBC

Described as a "sovereign" alternative to the European loans, the programme would instead use central bank funds.

From Barron's

Investors will want to hear about the supply outlook for critical components like wafers, memory, and optics, and about the effect of the Iran war on power costs and demand from sovereign customers.

From Barron's

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

Related Words

• absolute
• autonomous
• unlimited