sovereign

American  

[sov-rin, sov-er-in, suhv-] / ˈsɒv rɪn, ˈsɒv ər ɪn, ˈsʌv- /

noun

1. a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.

   Synonyms:

   potentate, empress, emperor

2. a person who has supreme power or authority.

3. a group or body of persons or a state having sovereign authority.

   Synonyms:

   government

4. a gold coin of the United Kingdom, equal to one pound sterling: went out of circulation after 1914.

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adjective

1. belonging to or characteristic of a sovereign or sovereign authority; royal.

   Synonyms:

   queenly, kingly, monarchical, princely, imperial, majestic, regal

2. having supreme rank, power, or authority.

3. supreme; preeminent; indisputable.

   a sovereign right.

   Synonyms:

   predominant, principal, paramount, chief

4. greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.

5. being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc.

6. efficacious; potent.

   a sovereign remedy.

   Synonyms:

   effectual, effective

sovereign British  

/ ˈsɒvrɪn /

noun

1. a person exercising supreme authority, esp a monarch

2. a former British gold coin worth one pound sterling

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adjective

1. supreme in rank or authority

   a sovereign lord

2. excellent or outstanding

   a sovereign remedy

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of a sovereign

4. independent of outside authority

   a sovereign state

Other Word Forms

• nonsovereign
  noun
• nonsovereignly
  adverb
• quasi-sovereign
  adjective
• sovereignly
  adverb
• subsovereign
  noun
• supersovereign
  adjective
• undersovereign
  noun
• unsovereign
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sovereign

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English soverain, altered by influence of reign, from Old French soverain, from Vulgar Latin superānus (unrecorded), equivalent to Latin super- super- + -ānus -an

Explanation

Put simply, your sovereign is your king or queen. George III was the sovereign of Great Britain and her colonies — including the American ones. At least he was until a little thing called the Revolutionary War upset everything. Sovereign as an adjective can be used to indicate the ultimate power of a state, whether a monarchy or not, as in "Peru exercised its sovereign rights to all minerals within its borders." A sovereign is also a British gold coin with a face value of one pound sterling (with the monarch's face on it). But don't sell it for a pound, because it's worth its weight in gold — quite literally — which is a lot more than a pound is worth.

Example Sentences

So is the story of the Constitutional Convention a few years later, which produced what is now the world’s oldest constitution of a complex sovereign state, amended only 27 times.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

These include sovereign securities with maturities of more than one year and up to three years, more than 10 years and up to 25 years, and more than 25 years.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Rumors of acquisition offers swirled: Saudi sovereign money?

From Slate • May 8, 2026

Industry players early in research and development are already gaining first-mover advantages, the firm wrote, while investments are ramping up and government policies are holding quantum as a sovereign priority.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

“And I can promise you that your Court will be recognized as sovereign, if you help us. No threat of conquest from the new High King. Instead, we offer you an alliance.”

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Related Words

• absolute
• autonomous
• unlimited