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
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Emerging technologies like generative AI are powerfully transformative but demand resilient infrastructure capable of adapting to the evolving data sovereignty landscape.
—Hans Dekkers, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
President Trump celebrated our military, our sovereignty, our heroes, and a young child battling terminal cancer—symbols of the strength and resilience that define this nation.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025
In some cases, territorial sovereignty is compromised in the process, from the creeping influence of multinational companies engaged in large-scale land acquisition to more blatant violations in the form of foreign military incursions.
—Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2025
The prime minister said that any lasting peace agreement must ensure Ukraine's sovereignty and security, and that Kyiv must be at the negotiating table.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sovereignty
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Cite this Entry
“Sovereignty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sovereignty. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
Kids Definition
sovereignty
noun
sov·er·eign·ty
ˈsäv-(ə-)rən-tē
ˈsäv-ərn-,
ˈsəv-
plural sovereignties
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