sovereign Hear it!

sovereign Definition

sov·er·eign (säv′rən, -ər in; occas. suv′--)

adjective

  1. above or superior to all others; chief; greatest; supreme
  2. supreme in power, rank, or authority
  3. of or holding the position of ruler; royal; reigning
  4. independent of all others a sovereign state
  5. excellent; outstanding
  6. very effectual, as a cure or remedy

Etymology: ME soveraine < OFr < VL *superanus < L super, above, over

noun

  1. a person who possesses sovereign authority or power; specif., a monarch or ruler
  2. a British gold coin valued at 20 shillings or one pound sterling, no longer minted for circulation

sovereign Related Forms

sov′·er·eignly adverb

sovereign Synonyms

sovereign

n.

monarch, autocrat, supreme ruler; see king.

sovereign Law Definition

n

A person, state, or group that is preeminent and independent of the will of others; the ruler of an autocratic state. See also sovereignty.

sovereign Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • absolutely: We know that God is absolutely sovereign, that God is in complete control of every circumstance, every detail.
  • truly: Ok, here is my question now: In what sense can a truly sovereign God " permit " anything to happen?
  • totally: The great message that rings out from chapter 1 of Genesis to chapter 22 of Revelation is that God is totally sovereign.
  • fully: On June 30, Iraq will be fully sovereign.

Adjective modifier

  • uncirculated: The 1989 was available as a proof only, indeed no ordinary uncirculated sovereigns were issued from 1983 to 1999.
  • gold: What We Do Gold Sovereign Dealers We are one of the UK's leading dealers in gold sovereigns.
  • British: Their are some dates which exist in Manx sovereigns which do not exist in British sovereigns.
  • joint: William and Mary became joint sovereigns, the former insisting on a ' Loyalty Act ' .
  • English: However, the British Empire was not the first instance of English sovereigns ruling overseas territories.

Modifies a noun

  • immunity: The King's preliminary challenge, on the grounds of sovereign immunity, was upheld.
  • providence: Help us, O God, to trust in Your sovereign providence, help us to be satisfied with little.
  • grace: Others by God's sovereign grace would come to have eternal life in him.
  • nation: These people don't seem to believe we are a sovereign nation.
  • state: They must put forward their own vision of a Europe of sovereign states, in which the working class plays the leading role.
  • ruler: She is associated with Him thus as head, sovereign, ruler over all things.

Used with adjective complement

  • reign: The reigning sovereign enjoys the title of Duke of Lancaster.
  • remain: Other states, including Britain, engaged in the hypocrisy of joining the League, with the intention of remaining absolutely sovereign nevertheless.

Noun used with modifier

  • gold: Posting Coins to Us Selling gold sovereigns to us is very easy.
  • proof: We expected our 2006 proof sovereigns to arrive here by about 20th January, direct from the Royal Mint.
  • half: For more information about, or to order, 2004 half sovereigns, please visit our Tax Free Gold website.