sovereign
Americannoun
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a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.
-
a person who has supreme power or authority.
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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
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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
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greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.
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being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc.
-
efficacious; potent.
a sovereign remedy.
noun
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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
- 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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Strait of Hormuz is a natural passage, not a man-made canal running through sovereign territory.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
The latter charge, comprising a breach of allegiance owed to a sovereign or state, was crucial because it was not subject to reprieve or commutation by the governor without consent of the Legislature.
From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026
Local media described Freeman as a conspiracy theorist and member of the so-called "sovereign citizen" movement, which falsely believes it is not subject to the law.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
Renting out hardware will also allow Oracle to expand into higher-margin niches such as sovereign cloud, which involves building localized data centers for national governments.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
In 1096 Tilantongo's sovereign died in mysterious circumstances.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
