German word

souverän

Pronunciation

IPA/zuːvəˈʁɛːn/

Meaning

  • adjectiveconfident

Example

Sie antwortete souveräner als die anderen.

She answered more confidently than the others.

Illustration for souverän (confident)

More examples

Er reagierte souverän auf die Frage.

He responded confidently to the question.

Core concept

A calm expert takes charge of a difficult situation and handles it with effortless control.

Common phrases

  • auf souveräne Weise handeln

    act in a confident manner

  • souverän auftreten

    carry oneself confidently

  • mit souveräner Sicherheit

    with confident assurance

Similar words

selbstsicher: Confident in personal abilities and willing to act without hesitation.
ruhig: Unaffected by outside pressure and remaining calm.
kompetent: Having the knowledge and skills needed to handle a task well.

Definition in German

Sicheres Verhalten, das Aufgaben mühelos und mit Gelassenheit bewältigt.

Word origin

German souverän came through French souverain from Latin superanus, meaning "above", and its sense extends from supreme authority to assured mastery.

Usage tips

  • As an adverb, souverän stays unchanged before a verb, while an attributive adjective takes an ending, as in "eine souveräne Antwort".

Other meanings

  • commandingadjective
  • unflappableadjective
  • masterfullyadverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word