sovereignty

noun

sov·er·eign·ty | \ ˈsä-v(ə-)rən-tē

, -vərn-tē also ˈsə-\

variants: or less commonly sovranty

plural sovereignties also sovranties

Definition of sovereignty

1a : supreme power especially over a body politic

b : freedom from external control : autonomy

c : controlling influence

2 : one that is sovereign especially : an autonomous state

3 obsolete : supreme excellence or an example of it

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

Together, the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense are committed to using every lever of power to support the men and women of law enforcement defending our nation's sovereignty and protecting the American people. — Elizabeth Zwirz, Fox News, "Arizona, Texas announce plans to send National Guard members to border," 2 Oct. 2018 These are generally tiny, out of the way spots where some eccentric insists on designing his own national flag and printing postage stamps, though no government on Earth recognizes his sovereignty. — Ken Jennings, Condé Nast Traveler, "This Part of the U.S. Was a Micronation for 85 Years," 2 July 2018 Denmark, eager to appear supportive of Greenlandic sovereignty, had helped arrange the meetings, including with China Development Bank and the Export Import Bank of China. — Jeremy Page, WSJ, "How the Pentagon Countered China’s Designs on Greenland," 10 Feb. 2019 Those who want to leave the EU focus on the issue of sovereignty. — Peter Ford, The Christian Science Monitor, "As clock ticks down, Britain finally reveals its plan for Brexit. What now?," 11 July 2018 But the Trump administration opposes ceding enforcement to such panels, believing Washington could face binding decisions that undermine U.S. sovereignty. — Vivian Salama, WSJ, "New Nafta Is Threatened by Partisan Split Over Enforcement," 13 Feb. 2019 Much of the Arctic is indeed Russian territory and fighter patrols are a way of enforcing Russian sovereignty. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Russia Resumes Fighter Patrols Over the North Pole," 6 Feb. 2019 Russia threatens war against Ukraine over naval sovereignty; Nancy Pelosi wins her party’s nomination for House speaker. — Stavros Agorakis, Vox, "Vox Sentences: Russia threatens war with Ukraine — again," 29 Nov. 2018 In European capitals, officials complain that the US President's populist nationalism and economic sovereignty arguments reject values that have bolstered the West since World War II. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, "The West is in crisis, despite Trump's glowing assessment," 9 June 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.