sovereignty
noun
sov·er·eign·ty
ˈsä-v(ə-)rən-tē 
-vərn-tē
also ˈsə-
variants
or less commonly sovranty
plural sovereignties also sovranties
1
a
: supreme power especially over a body politic
b
: freedom from external control : autonomy sense 1
c
: controlling influence
2
: one that is sovereign
especially
: an autonomous state : autonomy sense 2
3
obsolete
: supreme excellence or an example of it
Examples of sovereignty in a Sentence
Nor was the sovereignty of the Native Hawaiian race recognized at the time Hawaii became a state.
—
Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 18 July 2005
Cesaire's wrenching chant of self-affirmation announced a new era of intellectual and cultural sovereignty for black writers in French.
—Lila Azam Zanganeh, New York Times Book Review, 12 June 2005
The position plunged him into a supremely complicated religious and political game. Throughout Europe the old order of divinely sanctioned kingdoms was battling models of popular sovereignty and citizenship inspired by the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and the adolescent U.S.
—David Van Biema, Time, 4 Sept. 2000
upon leaving home she felt that she had achieved sovereignty for the first time in her life
as parts of the same sovereignty, the states should not enact laws intended to harm one another economically
Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 18 July 2005
Cesaire's wrenching chant of self-affirmation announced a new era of intellectual and cultural sovereignty for black writers in French.
—Lila Azam Zanganeh, New York Times Book Review, 12 June 2005
The position plunged him into a supremely complicated religious and political game. Throughout Europe the old order of divinely sanctioned kingdoms was battling models of popular sovereignty and citizenship inspired by the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and the adolescent U.S.
—David Van Biema, Time, 4 Sept. 2000
upon leaving home she felt that she had achieved sovereignty for the first time in her life
as parts of the same sovereignty, the states should not enact laws intended to harm one another economically
Recent Examples on the Web
Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty has been at the heart of the war since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and Putin ordered a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Hobart officials have been challenging Oneida Nation’s actions and its sovereignty for more than 20 years in courts and consistently losing cases, costing its taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 4 Dec. 2025
The company is seen as crucial to Europe’s tech sovereignty ambitions.
—Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2025
Syrian officials have condemned the Israeli incursions as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.
—NPR, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sovereignty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Hobart officials have been challenging Oneida Nation’s actions and its sovereignty for more than 20 years in courts and consistently losing cases, costing its taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 4 Dec. 2025
The company is seen as crucial to Europe’s tech sovereignty ambitions.
—Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2025
Syrian officials have condemned the Israeli incursions as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.
—NPR, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sovereignty
Cite this Entry
“Sovereignty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sovereignty. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sovereignty
noun
sov·er·eign·ty
ˈsäv-(ə-)rən-tē
ˈsäv-ərn-,
ˈsəv-
plural sovereignties
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