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

Corporate spreads would widen 200 basis points, and emerging- market sovereign spreads would increase by 100 basis points.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

A Saudi sovereign fund reportedly poured more than $5 billion into the golf league.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

“Unfortunately, we’re not able to compel any action of an independent, sovereign government,” Wakefield replied.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

The U.A.E. ‘just became the agile sovereign trader everyone else wishes they could be.’

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

But presently I gave command to my officers to flay those sheep the bronze cut down, and make burnt offerings of flesh to the gods below—to sovereign Death, to pale Persephone.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

Related Words

• absolute
• autonomous
• unlimited