sovereign

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ˈsɒvrɪn/ 🇺🇸 /ˈsɑvrən/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A supreme ruler, especially a monarch such as a king or queen who holds ultimate authority over a state or nation.; A former British gold coin worth one pound sterling, first issued in 1489.; A person or entity that possesses supreme or ultimate power and authority, not necessarily a monarch.
  2. adjective
    Possessing supreme or ultimate power; having independent authority and not subject to external control.; Of the highest quality or excellence; supreme.; Most effective; efficacious, especially as a remedy.; Of or relating to a monarch; royal.; Autonomous; self-governing and not dependent on another authority.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: sovereigns

Collocations

sovereign statesovereign powersovereign immunitysovereign nationsovereign wealth fundsovereign debt

Derivatives

sovereigntysovereignly

Synonyms

monarchrulersupremeparamountautonomousindependent

Antonyms

subjectsubordinatedependent

Commonly confused

sovereignty
EN: 'Sovereignty' is the abstract noun meaning supreme power or authority; 'sovereign' is the person who holds it or the adjective describing it.
sovran
EN: 'Sovran' is an archaic/poetic variant of 'sovereign', rarely used in modern English.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember the silent 'g': it is 'sovereign', not 'soverign' or 'sovereigne'. The 'eign' ending (as in 'reign', 'foreign') is a common source of errors.

💬 Examples

  1. The sovereign addressed the nation from the balcony of the palace.

  2. He found an old sovereign in his grandfather's coin collection.

  3. In a democracy, the people are the sovereign.

  4. The country became a sovereign state after gaining independence.

  5. She displayed sovereign courage in the face of adversity.

  6. The herbalist recommended a sovereign remedy for the persistent cough.

  7. The sovereign's crown was displayed in the Tower of London.

  8. Each member nation remains sovereign within the alliance.