hegemony

American  

[hi-jem-uh-nee, hej-uh-moh-nee] / hɪˈdʒɛm ə ni, ˈhɛdʒ əˌmoʊ ni /

noun

• hegemonies
  plural

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.

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hegemony British  

/ hɪˈɡɛmənɪ /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antihegemony
  noun
• hegemonic
  adjective
• hegemonical
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hegemonies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of hegemony

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

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Explanation

Hegemony is political or cultural dominance or authority over others. The hegemony of the popular kids over the other students means that they determine what is and is not cool. Hegemony comes from the Greek hegemon "leader." Wealthy lender nations hoping to determine political outcomes and trade decisions have established hegemony over the debtor nations they lend to. As well as the dominance of one group or nation over others, hegemony is also the term for the leading group or nation itself. During the American Revolution, colonists fought to throw off the British hegemony.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hegemony hegemonies

Talk of America’s waning financial and economic hegemony has been greatly exaggerated.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 28, 2026

Every few years, some geopolitical friction sends commentators racing to declare the end of dollar hegemony and the collapse of the petrodollar.

From Barron's ● May 27, 2026

While both governments oppose what they view as "Western hegemony", their approaches to this can diverge.

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

Gorsuch, Neil M. T. “Overcoming a hegemony of ideas,” Columbia Spectator, Feb. 25, 1987.

From Slate ● May 13, 2026

His career extends from the industry’s modest origins to its cur- rent hamburger hegemony.

From "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" by Eric Schlosser

I am not among the man’s harshest critics, in part because I believe that all tech-company hegemonies are destined to decline, sooner or later.

From Time ● Aug. 23, 2013

But these days I encounter more and more Americans who’ve unshackled themselves from outdated cultural hegemonies.

From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2013

Books iii. to vii., the Hellenica proper, cover the period from 401 to 362, and give the histories of the Spartan and Theban hegemonies down to the death of Epaminondas.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 4 "Grasshopper" to "Greek Language" by Various

Europe under the successive spiritual hegemonies of Athens, Rome, and Paris remained the most admirable centre of human development that has ever been.

From New York Times Current History; The European War, Vol 2, No. 4, July, 1915 April-September, 1915 by Various

There would be no more talk of honour and annexations, hegemonies and trade routes, but only Europe lamenting for her dead....

From Mr. Britling Sees It Through by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

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