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
China’s coast guard criticized the Philippines' actions as a serious infringement on its territorial sovereignty.
—Fox News, 15 Sep. 2024
That the Ukrainians themselves have asked for this help in order to preserve their sovereignty seems irrelevant to Beck.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2024
The Rise Of Bitcoin And Decentralized Finance Bitcoin emerged as a response to the financial crisis of 2008, offering a model of financial sovereignty through cryptographic proof instead of trust in intermediaries like banks or governments.
—Tonya Evans, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
Kyiv has long sought to end the war on favorable terms or, at the very least, avoid an unfavorable settlement that includes compromising Ukraine’s sovereignty or conceding territorial losses.
—Michael Kofman, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sovereignty 
Fox News, 15 Sep. 2024
That the Ukrainians themselves have asked for this help in order to preserve their sovereignty seems irrelevant to Beck.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2024
The Rise Of Bitcoin And Decentralized Finance Bitcoin emerged as a response to the financial crisis of 2008, offering a model of financial sovereignty through cryptographic proof instead of trust in intermediaries like banks or governments.
—Tonya Evans, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
Kyiv has long sought to end the war on favorable terms or, at the very least, avoid an unfavorable settlement that includes compromising Ukraine’s sovereignty or conceding territorial losses.
—Michael Kofman, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sovereignty
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 26 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sovereignty
noun
sov·er·eign·ty
ˈsäv-(ə-)rən-tē
ˈsäv-ərn-,
ˈsəv-
plural sovereignties
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