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

c

: controlling influence

2

: one that is sovereign

especially : an autonomous state

3

obsolete : supreme excellence or an example of it

Synonyms

• independence
• freedom
• independency
• liberty

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

Governments are enforcing where training and inference take place, and laws and regulations are becoming more stringent. Take a strategic, proactive approach to prepare for data sovereignty barriers. —Mark Mahle, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

But Israel's actions significantly undermined international law and further eroded Lebanese sovereignty and credibility. —Lynn Zovighian, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025

Staunch President Donald Trump ally Jim Jordan, committee chair, met EU tech sovereignty chief Henna Virkkunen in Brussels as part of a bipartisan delegation on Monday. —Raziye Akkoc, Fortune, 29 July 2025

The case is currently in federal court, with a ruling expected that could have national implications for tribal sovereignty. —Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 29 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English soverainte, from Anglo-French sovereinté, from soverein — see sovereign entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing sovereignty

• popular sovereignty
• squatter sovereignty

Kids Definition

sovereignty

noun

sov·​er·​eign·​ty ˈsäv-(ə-)rən-tē 

ˈsäv-ərn-,

ˈsəv-

plural sovereignties

1

a

: supreme power especially over a politically organized unit : dominion

b

: freedom from outside control : autonomy

c

: the condition of being sovereign or a sovereign

2

: one (as a country) that is sovereign

Legal Definition

sovereignty

noun

sov·​er·​eign·​ty

ˈsä-vrən-tē, ˈsə-, -və-rən-

plural sovereignties

1

a

: supreme power especially over a body politic

b

: freedom from external control : autonomy

2

: one that is sovereign

especially : an autonomous state