Meaning & use
sovereignty
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Meaning
noununcountableformal
The full authority of a state or nation to govern itself and control its territory without outside interference.
Grammar: No plural in ordinary use: respect national sovereignty. Often followed by over: sovereignty over the islands.
Patterns
- national sovereignty
- defend sovereignty
- sovereignty over territory
The treaty recognizes the country's sovereignty over its coastal waters.
The region demanded sovereignty after decades of distant rule.
Joining the alliance required limits on full economic sovereignty.
Common combinations
- popular sovereignty
- The constitution rests on the idea of popular sovereignty.
- state sovereignty
- The court ruled that state sovereignty protected the local law.
- loss of sovereignty
- Critics warned that the deal would mean a loss of sovereignty.
- respect sovereignty
- Neighbors pledged to respect each other's sovereignty.
Synonyms and how they differ
- autonomy
- Self-government, often for a region or organization within a larger system.
- independence
- Freedom from outside control; broader and more everyday than sovereignty.
- supremacy
- The highest power or authority, not necessarily tied to a nation or territory.
- authority
- The right or power to give orders; less absolute than sovereignty.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: sovereignty or sovereign?
sovereignty vs sovereign
Sovereign is the ruler or the adjective meaning supreme; sovereignty is the noun for the authority itself.
Practice
Which word completes the sentence: “The islands are disputed because both nations claim ___ over them.”?
Choose one answer.
Sovereignty over territory is the standard political phrase for supreme governing authority. Currency, anthem, and census are national things but do not express governing control.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sovereignty”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.