sovereignty
noun
sov·er·eign·ty
ˈsä-v(ə-)rən-tē 
-vərn-tē,
also ˈsə-
variants
or less commonly sovranty
plural sovereignties also sovranties
1
a
: supreme power especially over a body politic
b
: freedom from external control : autonomy
c
: controlling influence
2
: one that is sovereign
especially
: an autonomous state
3
obsolete
: supreme excellence or an example of it
Synonyms
Examples of sovereignty in a Sentence
Nor was the sovereignty of the Native Hawaiian race recognized at the time Hawaii became a state.
—
Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 18 July 2005
Cesaire's wrenching chant of self-affirmation announced a new era of intellectual and cultural sovereignty for black writers in French.
—Lila Azam Zanganeh, New York Times Book Review, 12 June 2005
The position plunged him into a supremely complicated religious and political game. Throughout Europe the old order of divinely sanctioned kingdoms was battling models of popular sovereignty and citizenship inspired by the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and the adolescent U.S.
—David Van Biema, Time, 4 Sept. 2000
upon leaving home she felt that she had achieved sovereignty for the first time in her life
as parts of the same sovereignty, the states should not enact laws intended to harm one another economically
Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 18 July 2005
Cesaire's wrenching chant of self-affirmation announced a new era of intellectual and cultural sovereignty for black writers in French.
—Lila Azam Zanganeh, New York Times Book Review, 12 June 2005
The position plunged him into a supremely complicated religious and political game. Throughout Europe the old order of divinely sanctioned kingdoms was battling models of popular sovereignty and citizenship inspired by the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and the adolescent U.S.
—David Van Biema, Time, 4 Sept. 2000
upon leaving home she felt that she had achieved sovereignty for the first time in her life
as parts of the same sovereignty, the states should not enact laws intended to harm one another economically
Recent Examples on the Web
The Haitian Revolution in the early nineteenth century and its slaughter of whites shaped the Cuban political landscape; many whites saw the drive for sovereignty as synonymous with Black ascendancy.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
As Passover begins Monday at sundown, Phoenix-area Jews, whose families were uprooted by the Holocaust, are seeing the Israel-Hamas war as another battle in the long Jewish fight for sovereignty.
—The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
The Moscow Patriarch, Kirill, who was reportedly a KGB agent in the 1970s, has vociferously supported the invasion of Ukraine, openly backs the destruction of Ukraine’s sovereignty and promises Russian soldiers their sins will be washed away.
—Peter Pomerantsev, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024
The German response offers a model for other Western countries to follow when the Islamic Republic violates their sovereignty in order to persecute its enemies.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
The skirmish comes just days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Washington’s commitment to defending Philippine access to the vast waterway, which China claims sovereignty over, sparking increasing clashes with its neighbors in recent years.
—James Legge, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
Ukraine is defending its sovereignty from Russian invaders, liberating its own territory and is fighting with the occupiers’ army and military targets, not civilians.
—Guy Faulconbridge, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024
That trend was underscored in January, when Taiwanese voters shrugged off warnings by China and handed the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) a historic third term by electing Lai Ching-te, who has long faced Beijing’s wrath for championing Taiwan’s sovereignty.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
This requirement is said to violate the principles of federalism by undermining state sovereignty.
—Matthew Erskine, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
As Passover begins Monday at sundown, Phoenix-area Jews, whose families were uprooted by the Holocaust, are seeing the Israel-Hamas war as another battle in the long Jewish fight for sovereignty.
—The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
The Moscow Patriarch, Kirill, who was reportedly a KGB agent in the 1970s, has vociferously supported the invasion of Ukraine, openly backs the destruction of Ukraine’s sovereignty and promises Russian soldiers their sins will be washed away.
—Peter Pomerantsev, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024
The German response offers a model for other Western countries to follow when the Islamic Republic violates their sovereignty in order to persecute its enemies.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
The skirmish comes just days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Washington’s commitment to defending Philippine access to the vast waterway, which China claims sovereignty over, sparking increasing clashes with its neighbors in recent years.
—James Legge, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
Ukraine is defending its sovereignty from Russian invaders, liberating its own territory and is fighting with the occupiers’ army and military targets, not civilians.
—Guy Faulconbridge, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024
That trend was underscored in January, when Taiwanese voters shrugged off warnings by China and handed the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) a historic third term by electing Lai Ching-te, who has long faced Beijing’s wrath for championing Taiwan’s sovereignty.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
This requirement is said to violate the principles of federalism by undermining state sovereignty.
—Matthew Erskine, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sovereignty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sovereignty
Cite this Entry
“Sovereignty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sovereignty. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sovereignty
noun
sov·er·eign·ty
ˈsäv-(ə-)rən-tē
ˈsäv-ərn-,
ˈsəv-
plural sovereignties
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