sovereignty

noun

sov·er·eign·ty | \ ˈsä-v(ə-)rən-tē,

-vərn-tē also ˈsə-\

variants: or less commonly sovranty

plural sovereignties

Definition of sovereignty

1 obsolete : supreme excellence or an example of it

2a : supreme power especially over a body politic

b : freedom from external control : autonomy

c : controlling influence

3 : one that is sovereign especially : an autonomous state

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about sovereignty

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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

Recent Examples on the Web

Mark Hirsch, historian at the National Museum of the American Indian, says the bulk of Native nations hoped that a British victory would secure their sovereignty and halt the expansion of the United States into their lands. — Anna Diamond, Smithsonian, "How Come U.S. Currency Never Changes Its Face and More Questions From Our Readers," 25 May 2018 At issue is the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine, following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. — Evelyn Farkas, Time, "How Trump Could Actually Make the Summit with Putin a Success," 9 July 2018 The doctrine's concept is that warrants are not required to conduct a search at the border in the name of national sovereignty. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Cheese danish shipping, warrantless GPS trackers, and a border doctrine challenge," 2 Sep. 2018 In pursuit of fugitives, the Chinese authorities are increasingly willing to challenge the sovereignty of foreign governments and to seek the help of international agencies, even on spurious grounds. — The Economist, "China’s law-enforcers are going global," 28 Mar. 2018 More than 20 years after the 1997 handover of sovereignty from Britain to China, Hong Kong is seeing new infrastructure projects, such as a super-speed train link with Beijing, and an ongoing political tug of war. — Janice Leung Hayes, Condé Nast Traveler, "23 Best Things to Do in Hong Kong," 27 Feb. 2018 Djibouti’s government said a contract signed more than a decade ago granting DP World the concession violated the Horn of Africa nation’s sovereignty. — Zainab Fattah, Bloomberg.com, "U.A.E. Jumps to DP World's Defense in Djibouti Port Dispute," 25 Feb. 2018 Still, the party wants Italy to have more sovereignty in economic choices. — New York Times, "Why Italy’s Political Turmoil Is Causing Financial Angst Elsewhere," 29 May 2018 Addressing an audience that also included leaders from Lithuania, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, and Ukraine, Macron urged Europe to defend the global multilateral order, for the sake of the continent’s sovereignty. — Geir Moulson, BostonGlobe.com, "France’s Macron backs European unity amid US tensions," 10 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sovereignty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.