Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority - it has to do with the exercise of power or with dominion. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate authority over other people and to change existing laws. In political theory, sovereignty is a substantive term designating supreme legitimate authority over some polity. In international law, sovereignty is the exercise of power by a state. De jure sovereignty refers to the legal right to do so; de facto sovereignty refers to the factual ability to do so. This can become an issue of special concern upon the failure of the usual expectation that de jure and de facto sovereignty exist at the place and time of concern, and reside within the same organization.

किसी भौगोलिक क्षेत्र या जन समूह पर सत्ता या प्रभुत्व के सम्पूर्ण नियंत्रण पर अनन्य अधिकार को सम्प्रभुता (संप्रभुता) (Sovereignty) कहा जाता है। सार्वभौम सर्वोच्च विधि निर्माता एवं नियंत्रक होता है यानि संप्रभुता राज्य की सर्वोच्च शक्ति है|