sovereignty

noun sov·er·eign·ty \ ˈsä-v(ə-)rən-tē , -vərn-tē also ˈsə- \

variants: or less commonly sovranty

Updated on: 23 May 2018

plural sovereignties

1 obsolete : supreme excellence or an example of it

2 a : 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

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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 of sovereignty from the Web

Separatists groups who challenge India's sovereignty over Kashmir called for a daylong strike and a march to the commercial hub and main city of Srinagar to protest Modi's visit.

— Fox News, "Restive Kashmir shuts to protest Indian PM Modi's visit," 19 May 2018
Jerusalem is disputed territory between the two states, and as the BBC reports, Israeli sovereignty over the historic holy city isn’t recognized internationally.

— anne branigin, The Root, "While Trump Congratulates Israel and Plugs Fox News, Here’s What’s Happening in Gaza," 14 May 2018
This will correct a surreal policy whereby, since Israel’s independence 70 years ago, the U.S. and other nations have refused to recognize its sovereignty over its capital city.

— eugene kontorovich, WSJ, "America Recognizes One Jerusalem," 13 May 2018
In a referendum on April 15th, Guatemalan voters chose to file a claim at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) demanding sovereignty over 53% of Belize, their eastern neighbour.

— The Economist, "Guatemala votes to demand 53% of its neighbour’s territory," 19 Apr. 2018
Separatist leaders who challenge India’s sovereignty over Kashmir called for a shutdown on Monday and Tuesday to protest the killings.

— aijaz hussain, BostonGlobe.com, "Kashmir shut by strike, security day after deadly fighting," 2 Apr. 2018
Separatist leaders who challenge India's sovereignty over Kashmir have called for a shutdown on Monday against the killings.

— Bloomberg.com, "Anti-India Protests Erupt in Kashmir After Deadly Fighting," 1 Apr. 2018
Lunar bases presumably would be governed by the 1967 Space Treaty, which prevents nations from claiming sovereignty over lunar territory or using it for military purposes.

— NBC News, "Moon bases being planned now may show us how to live off-planet," 13 Mar. 2018
China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, where more than $5 trillion of goods are shipped each year through some of the world’s busiest waterways.

— thomas maresca, USA TODAY, "USS Carl Vinson arrives in Vietnam in historic first since war," 5 Mar. 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.