hegemony

[ hi-jem-uh-nee, hej-uh-moh-nee ]

noun

, plural he·gem·o·nies.

1. leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, as in a confederation.
2. leadership; predominance.
3. (especially among smaller nations) aggression or expansionism by large nations in an effort to achieve world domination.

hegemony

/ hɪˈɡɛmənɪ; ˌhɛɡəˈmɒnɪk /

noun

1. ascendancy or domination of one power or state within a league, confederation, etc, or of one social class over others

Derived Forms

• hegemonic, adjective

Other Words From

• heg·e·mon·ic [hej-, uh, -, mon, -ik], hege·moni·cal adjective
• anti·he·gemo·ny noun plural antihegemonies adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hegemony¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Greek hēgemonía “leadership, supremacy,” equivalent to hēgemon- (stem of hēgemṓn ) “leader” + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of hegemony¹

C16: from Greek hēgemonia authority, from hēgemōn leader, from hēgeisthai to lead

Example Sentences

Given the political hegemony enjoyed by vast corporate interests and institutional leviathans like the military, how is it that they can no longer fend off shakedowns by hack politicians?

From Salon

Arab leaders are terrified not of Israel but of an imperial Iran, which has spread its influence over at least four Arab nations — Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen — and seeks hegemony over the rest of the region.

From Los Angeles Times

For those trying to track global trends for the next decade or two, the real question is not the fate of American global hegemony, but the future of the world order it began building at the peak of its power, not in 1991, but right after World War II. For the past 75 years, Washington’s global dominion has rested on a “delicate duality.”

From Salon

In other words, there had been a flowering of serious intellectual challenges to white racial hegemony.

From Salon

Xi, who took office in 2013, has presented China as an alternative style of global leadership to what he sees as Western hegemony, strengthening ties with U.S. adversaries like Russia and North Korea and courting the friendship of other countries in the Asia-Pacific through trade and diplomatic visits.

From Los Angeles Times