sovereignty
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Definition of sovereignty
sovereignties
1 obsolete : supreme excellence or an example of it
2a : supreme power especially over a body politicb : freedom from external control : autonomyc : controlling influence
3 : one that is sovereign; especially : an autonomous state
From the M-W Editors
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 of sovereignty from the Web
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The Trump administration, which regards the authority of foreign judges as an infringement of sovereignty, has both provisions in its sights.
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Some Brexiteers would doubtless enjoy such a muscular exertion of sovereignty.
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Xi will leave the city on Saturday after attending a flag-raising ceremony to mark the 20 years since China assumed sovereignty over Hong Kong.
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Any serious mediation will need to bridge the gap between sovereignty-crushing non-starters and an ambitious, but achievable set of legitimate requirements.
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Even more astonishing was the Israeli decision, at the moment of victory, to concede sovereignty over the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site.
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Hong Kong — a British colony until it was returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 — remains the only place under Beijing's effective jurisdiction that allows open memorialization of the crackdown.
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Populists believe in popular sovereignty as expressed through elections and referenda.
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Thus, our withdrawal from the agreement represents a reassertion of America's sovereignty.
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.
Origin and Etymology of sovereignty
Middle English soverainte, from Anglo-French sovereinté, from soverein —see 2sovereign
Other Government and Politics Terms
SOVEREIGNTY Defined for English Language Learners
sovereignty
playDefinition of sovereignty for English Language Learners
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: unlimited power over a country
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: a country's independent authority and the right to govern itself
SOVEREIGNTY Defined for Kids
sovereignty
playDefinition of sovereignty for Students
sovereignties
1 : supreme power especially over a political unit (as a country)
2 : a country's independent authority and right of self-control
Law Dictionary
sovereignty
Legal Definition of sovereignty
sovereignties
1a : supreme power especially over a body politic b : freedom from external control : autonomy
2 : one that is sovereign; especially : an autonomous state
Learn More about sovereignty
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sovereignty Spanish Central: Translation of sovereignty Nglish: Translation of sovereignty for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sovereignty for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sovereignty
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