sovereign
1 of 2noun
sovereign
2 of 2adjective
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Sovereign Power
Sovereign has everything to do with power. It often describes a person who has supreme power or authority, such as a king or queen. God is described as "sovereign" in a number of Bible translations. In addition to describing ones who have power, the word sovereign also often describes power: to have sovereign power is to have absolute power—that is, power that cannot be checked by anyone or anything. Nations and states are also sometimes described as "sovereign." This means that they have power over themselves; their government is under their own control, rather than under the control of an outside authority.
Sovereign can also be a synonym of supreme as in "of the most exalted kind." In that case, the power is figurative rather than literal.
Synonyms
Noun
- autocrat
- monarch
- potentate
- ruler
Adjective
- arch
- big
- capital
- cardinal
- central
- chief
- dominant
- first
- foremost
- grand
- great
- greatest
- highest
- key
- leading
- main
- master
- number one
- No. 1
- numero uno
- overbearing
- overmastering
- overriding
- paramount
- predominant
- preeminent
- premier
- primal
- primary
- principal
- prior
- supreme
Example Sentences
Raquel Cepeda, Vibe, May 1999 During these two centuries the throne of Scotland was occupied by no more than seven sovereigns of only four different generations. G. W. S. Barrow, The Anglo-Norman Era In Scottish History, 1980 after the current sovereign dies, the monarchy may be abolished Adjective Local officials and a huge and enthusiastic crowd greeted Napoleon at the Portoferraio harbor. The Allies had granted him the title of Emperor of Elba, which was to be a sovereign state under his jurisdiction. David Pryce-Jones, National Review, 4 July 2005 If Cleopatra VII used her own personality more like Elizabeth I than Elizabeth II, she seems to have had the latter Elizabeth's sovereign sense of duty—as well as her fertility: With a dispatch usually associated with the gods, Cleopatra bore Caesar a son called Caesarion—"little Caesar"—in 47 B.C.E., the year after they met (she was twenty-one, he fifty-two). Ingrid D. Rowland, New Republic, 1 & 8 April 2002 the sovereign power of a king The government's sovereign duty is to protect the rights of its citizens. See More Rob Gillies, ajc, 10 Sep. 2022 This was followed by the public proclamation of the new sovereign, read publicly at St James's Palace and at various locations through Edinburgh, Scotland; Cardiff, Wales; and Belfast, Ireland. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2022 The council’s convening, traditionally meant to be as soon as possible after the death of a sovereign, is followed by a meeting in Parliament. Karla Adam, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022 The index has an entry devoted to the sovereign’s interests. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2022 The new sovereign will officially be proclaimed king tomorrow. Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 Sep. 2022 The most important head at any coronation is that of the sovereign but the queen consort is crowned, too. Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2022 Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who governs the Saudi sovereign-wealth fund that funds the upstart circuit, rounded out the group before later peeling off. Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 30 July 2022 The term jubilee applies to a milestone moment, celebration or anniversary and a royal jubilee is simply a significant milestone in the reign of the sovereign. Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, 21 May 2022 Emma O'brien, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2022 The council will approve Charles as sovereign first without his presence, with the new king waiting in an adjoining room. Matthew Mulligan, NBC News, 10 Sep. 2022 Photographs from the early decades of her reign show the Queen remarkably at ease and quick to laugh—a world away from the sometimes somber, and always dutiful, sovereign seen in so many of her state portraits. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2022 In his first public address as sovereign of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms, the king made a loving mention to Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 Sep. 2022 The nation's sovereign gets off the hook with inheritance taxes, according to the Economist. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2022 The council is made up of the privy council, the sovereign’s official advisers, the lord mayor and high sheriffs of the City of London, high commissioners, some senior civil servants and certain others invited to attend. Joanna Sugden, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 The role and the duties of monarchy also remain, as does the sovereign’s particular relationship and responsibility towards the Church of England – the church in which my own faith is so deeply rooted. Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2022 The 73-year-old former prince — now the British empire’s sovereign ruler — is expected to deliver his speech around 6 p.m. local time (10 a.m. Pacific) amid Britain’s 10-day mourning period, the BBC reported. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 See More Word History
Noun
Middle English soverain, from Anglo-French soverein, from soverein, adjective — see sovereign entry 2
Adjective
Middle English soverain, from Anglo-French soverein, from Vulgar Latin *superanus, from Latin super over, above — more at over
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing sovereign
Kids Definition
sovereign 1 of 2
noun
sovereign
2 of 2adjective
Medical Definition
sovereign
adjective
Legal Definition
sovereign 1 of 2
noun
Alden v. Maine, 527 U.S. 706 (1999)sovereign
2 of 2adjective
sovereign 1 of 2
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- main
- primary
- foremost
- predominant
- principal
- chief
- big
- supreme
- capital
- dominant
- greatest
- central
- highest
- cardinal
- key
- first
- leading
- master
- overriding
- paramount
- premier
- preeminent
- overbearing
- primal
- arch
- prior
- overmastering
- grand
- eminent
- number one
- great
- illustrious
- signal
- major
- distinguished
- senior
- superior
- outstanding
- numero uno
- mighty
- noble
- star
- important
- prestigious
- No. 1
- stellar
- matchless
- influential
- notable
- noteworthy
- incomparable
- momentous
- top
- unparalleled
- unsurpassed
- high-level
- unequalled
- significant
- famed
- renowned
- celebrated
- famous
- unequaled
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- least
- last
- subordinate
- minor
- insignificant
- unimportant
- secondary
- trivial
- negligible
- slight
- collateral
- inferior
- trifling
- inconsiderable
- inconsequential
- subsidiary
Synonyms & Similar Words
- autonomous
- separate
- independent
- democratic
- liberated
- free
- republican
- self-governing
- self-governed
- self-ruling
- freestanding
- freed
- freeborn
- redeemed
- empowered
- enfranchised
- emancipated
- delivered
- unconquered
- manumitted
- unruled
- released
- unsupervised
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dependent
- subject
- unfree
- non-self-governing
- subordinate
- captive
- subjugated
- nonautonomous
- conquered
- enslaved
- bound
- subdued
- fettered
- subservient
- inferior
sovereign
2 of 2noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- monarch
- ruler
- emperor
- king
- potentate
- autocrat
- prince
- dictator
- overlord
- suzerain
- emir
- tyrant
- sultan
- queen
- empress
- satrap
- despot
- khedive
- lord
- tsar
- czar
- kaiser
- mikado
- paramount
- shah
- authoritarian
- coruler
- Caesar
- mogul
- khan
- tzar
- führer
- monocrat
- ameer
- fuehrer
- amir
- Big Brother
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of sovereign are autonomous, free, and independent. While all these words mean "not subject to the rule or control of another," sovereign stresses the absence of a superior power and implies supremacy within a thing's own domain or sphere.
The meanings of autonomous and sovereign largely overlap; however, autonomous stresses independence in matters pertaining to self-government.
While the synonyms free and sovereign are close in meaning, free stresses the complete absence of external rule and the full right to make all of one's own decisions.
In some situations, the words independent and sovereign are roughly equivalent. However, independent implies a standing alone; applied to a state it implies lack of connection with any other having power to interfere with its citizens, laws, or policies.