sovereignty

[ sov-rin-tee, suhv- ]

noun

, plural sov·er·eign·ties.

1. the quality or state of being sovereign, or of having supreme power or authority.
2. the status, dominion, power, or authority of a sovereign; royal rank or position; royalty.
3. supreme and independent power or authority in government as possessed or claimed by a state or community.
4. rightful status, independence, or prerogative.
5. a sovereign or independent state, community, or political unit.

sovereignty

/ ˈsɒvrəntɪ /

noun

1. supreme and unrestricted power, as of a state
2. the position, dominion, or authority of a sovereign
3. an independent state

sovereignty

1. A nation or state's supreme power within its borders. A government might respond, for example, to criticism from foreign governments of its treatment of its own citizens by citing its rights of sovereignty.

Other Words From

• self-sover·eign·ty noun
• super·sover·eign·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sovereignty¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English soverainte, from Anglo-French sovereynete, from Old French soverainete, equivalent to soverain sovereign + -ete -ty ²

Example Sentences

In particular, the treaty stipulates that outer space isn’t subject to “national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.”

From Fortune

The goal is to achieve “technological sovereignty” so Argentina won’t have to watch from afar as others vaccinate their way out of the pandemic.

From Fortune

China has been joined by Russia, Iran, and other autocratic regimes in promoting cyber sovereignty—the idea that countries should set their own rules on how their citizens use the internet.

From MIT Technology Review

It’s establishing cyber sovereignty and claiming to protect user data in the US by using political action and legal means to fend off competition.

From MIT Technology Review

The dominant and controversial narrative is that the clause could see Nigeria sign away its sovereignty in the event of a payment default.

From Quartz

“Sovereignty, I argued, cannot be conceived as the right to kill millions of innocent people,” Lemkin wrote in his notebooks.

From The Daily Beast

It is now a so called Crown Dependency, meaning it falls under the sovereignty of  the British Crown, but is not part of the U.K.

From The Daily Beast

The tagline for the Museum is “Paz, Memoria, y Sobernía”: Peace, Memory and Sovereignty.

From The Daily Beast

Despite competing claims made by the British government and nearby Antigua, the rock island maintained its sovereignty.

From The Daily Beast

In 1905, a group of Indians from a variety of native peoples united to entrench “tribal sovereignty” against federal power.

From The Daily Beast

Did he at all intrench upon your Sovereignty in Verse, because he had now and then written a Comedy that succeeded?

From Project Gutenberg

The law of God originates in his nature, but the attributes of his creatures are due to his sovereignty.

From Project Gutenberg

The covenant due to this was embodied in that which, as we shall presently see was, at his creation, in sovereignty made with him.

From Project Gutenberg

To declare emphatically that the people of God are a covenant people, various signs were in sovereignty vouchsafed.

From Project Gutenberg

They preserve to themselves their ancient Right of giving Titles to Sovereignty.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dominance
• jurisdiction
• supremacy