sovereign

1 of 2

noun

sov·​er·​eign ˈsä-v(ə-)rən 

-vərn,

 also  ˈsə-

variants or less commonly sovran

1

a

: one possessing or held to possess supreme political power or sovereignty

b

: one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere

c

: an acknowledged leader : arbiter

2

: any of various gold coins of the United Kingdom

sovereign

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly sovran

1

a

: superlative in quality

b

: of the most exalted kind : supreme

sovereign virtue

c

: having generalized curative powers

a sovereign remedy

d

: of an unqualified nature : unmitigated

sovereign contempt

e

: having undisputed ascendancy : paramount

2

a

: possessed of supreme power

a sovereign ruler

b

: unlimited in extent : absolute

c

: enjoying autonomy : independent

sovereign states

3

: relating to, characteristic of, or befitting a supreme ruler : royal

a sovereign right

sovereignly adverb

Did you know?

Sovereign Power

Sovereign has everything to do with power. It often describes a person who has supreme power or authority, such as a king or queen. God is described as "sovereign" in a number of Bible translations. In addition to describing ones who have power, the word sovereign also often describes power: to have sovereign power is to have absolute power—that is, power that cannot be checked by anyone or anything. Nations and states are also sometimes described as "sovereign." This means that they have power over themselves; their government is under their own control, rather than under the control of an outside authority.

Sovereign can also be a synonym of supreme as in "of the most exalted kind." In that case, the power is figurative rather than literal.

Synonyms

Noun

• autocrat
• monarch
• potentate
• ruler

Adjective

• arch
• big
• capital
• cardinal
• central
• chief
• dominant
• first
• foremost
• grand
• great
• greatest
• highest
• key
• leading
• main
• master
• number one
• No. 1
• numero uno
• overbearing
• overmastering
• overriding
• paramount
• predominant
• preeminent
• premier
• primal
• primary
• principal
• prior
• supreme

Choose the Right Synonym for sovereign

free, independent, sovereign, autonomous mean not subject to the rule or control of another.

free stresses the complete absence of external rule and the full right to make all of one's own decisions.

you're free to do as you like

independent implies a standing alone; applied to a state it implies lack of connection with any other having power to interfere with its citizens, laws, or policies.

the colony's struggle to become independent

sovereign stresses the absence of a superior power and implies supremacy within a thing's own domain or sphere.

separate and sovereign armed services

autonomous stresses independence in matters pertaining to self-government.

in this denomination each congregation is regarded as autonomous

Examples of sovereign in a Sentence

Noun

Ricky Martin, sovereign of Latin pop culture, is back. —Raquel Cepeda, Vibe, May 1999

During these two centuries the throne of Scotland was occupied by no more than seven sovereigns of only four different generations. —G. W. S. Barrow, The Anglo-Norman Era In Scottish History, 1980

after the current sovereign dies, the monarchy may be abolished

Adjective

Local officials and a huge and enthusiastic crowd greeted Napoleon at the Portoferraio harbor. The Allies had granted him the title of Emperor of Elba, which was to be a sovereign state under his jurisdiction. —David Pryce-Jones, National Review, 4 July 2005

If Cleopatra VII used her own personality more like Elizabeth I than Elizabeth II, she seems to have had the latter Elizabeth's sovereign sense of duty—as well as her fertility: With a dispatch usually associated with the gods, Cleopatra bore Caesar a son called Caesarion—"little Caesar"—in 47 B.C.E., the year after they met (she was twenty-one, he fifty-two). —Ingrid D. Rowland, New Republic, 1 & 8 April 2002

the sovereign power of a king

The government's sovereign duty is to protect the rights of its citizens.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The sovereign also said then that William was the new Duke of Cornwall, inheriting possession of the royal family's famed estate worth $1 billion and its holdings. —Janine Henni, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025

The sovereign had met Pope Francis during a state visit to Italy at the beginning of April. —Blanche Marcel, Glamour, 28 Apr. 2025

Adjective

Unlike most of football’s recent risers, Glimt’s ascent has not coincided with a takeover from a billionaire or sovereign wealth fund. —Elias Burke, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Spanning nearly two decades of work, the exhibition, currently on view at The Whitney Museum of American Art is an assemblage of close to 50 portraits that reimagine the American realist tradition by centering Black subjects in moments of stillness, style, and sovereign presence. —Najha Zigbi-Johnson, Essence, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English soverain, from Anglo-French soverein, from soverein, adjective — see sovereign entry 2

Adjective

Middle English soverain, from Anglo-French soverein, from Vulgar Latin *superanus, from Latin super over, above — more at over

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sovereign

• half sovereign

Kids Definition

sovereign

1 of 2 noun

sov·​er·​eign ˈsäv-(ə-)rən 

ˈsäv-ərn,

ˈsəv-

1

: a person, body of persons, or a state possessing sovereignty

especially : a monarch exercising supreme authority in a state

2

: an old British gold coin

sovereign

2 of 2 adjective

1

: chief entry 1 sense 2, highest

a citizen's sovereign duty

2

: supreme in power or authority

a sovereign ruler

3

: politically independent : autonomous

a sovereign state

Medical Definition

sovereign

adjective

sov·​er·​eign ˈsäv-(ə-)rən 

: having generalized curative powers

a sovereign remedy

Legal Definition

sovereign

1 of 2 noun

sov·​er·​eign

ˈsä-vrən, ˈsə-, -və-rən

: a person or political entity (as a nation or state) possessing or held to possess sovereignty

the doctrine that a sovereign could not be sued without its consent was universal in the States when the Constitution was drafted

—Alden v. Maine, 527 U.S. 706 (1999)

see also sovereign immunity at immunity

sovereign

2 of 2 adjective

1

: having supreme power

a sovereign ruler

2

: enjoying autonomy

sovereign states

3

: relating to, characteristic of, or befitting a sovereign