sovereigns

variants also sovrans
plural of sovereign

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sovereigns On 28 July, Moody’s changed its MENA outlook from stable to negative, noting that the impairment of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will weigh on the growth of Gulf sovereigns, as well as their fiscal and external positions. Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026 As one of the big three ratings agencies, alongside Fitch and Moody’s, S&P Global plays a crucial role in determining whether African sovereigns and businesses can secure capital from international financial markets. Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 29 July 2026 Some sovereigns have succeeded in extracting millions of dollars in refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by filing false tax forms. Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 July 2026 Korea's plan is evidence that the buyer base is widening, and widening upward, to sovereigns. Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 But a series of 15th century directives from the Vatican authorized Portuguese sovereigns to conquer Africa and the Americas and enslave non-Christians. Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026 Whatever their precise content, the blessings of liberty allow people to be something like sovereigns over their own lives. Cass Sunstein, Big Think, 5 Mar. 2026 And the reason for that is that the default data and the default experience does not coincide with the ratings that the ratings agencies attribute to African sovereigns. Harvard Business Review, 13 Nov. 2025 Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, has similarly dropped into deep curtsies when meeting other sovereigns on trips abroad. Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sovereigns
Noun
  • Other Eurasian emperors of the time also did not persecute occult practitioners as Ivan did in the lead-up to the second oprichnina, actions more in line with attitudes in early modern Christian Europe than those common among rulers of Asia.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • His death also encouraged Queen Victoria to leave the stone not to her son, the new Edward VII, but his wife Queen Alexandra, since the curse was thought to only affect male rulers.
    Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Rule changes allowing for female monarchs are becoming more common around the world.
    Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026
  • That was in line with a tradition of Liechtenstein monarchs giving up the reins to their heirs.
    ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Spain moves kings’ remains to avoid fire Spanish authorities on Thursday night transferred the remains of three 11th century kings from a monastery in the northeastern Aragón region near an active wildfire.
    Angela Charlton, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Clean water and advanced medicine, for example, are now commonplace across much of the developed world despite once being a luxury even kings and queens couldn’t reliably access.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sovereigns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sovereigns. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on sovereigns

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!