hegemon

noun

heg·e·mon | \ ˈhe-jə-ˌmän

How to pronounce hegemon (audio)

, ˈhē- \

Definition of hegemon

: something (such as a political state) having dominant influence or authority over others : one possessing hegemony These were the periods in which England and then America filled the role of hegemon …— Robert Heilbroner The American self-image of a mighty power that is also a benign hegemon, the global custodian of democratic values and human rights, is deeply rooted.— Allister Sparks

Examples of hegemon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Perpetual borrowing without currency devaluation is the prerogative only of a solitary global economic hegemon. — Brian Domitrovic, Forbes, "The Zeus Of Economics Has Died," 4 Apr. 2021 Pliant European states have had to bolster their own commitment to religious liberty so as to remain in good standing with the global hegemon. — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, "Religious Persecution Abroad Reminds Us Why Religious Liberty Matters," 20 Mar. 2021 Quantum computing, we’re told, will be the next big techno-shock, and the country that gets the lead on it will become the world-hegemon. — Tom Shippey, WSJ, "Science Fiction: ‘Into the Light’ Review," 26 Feb. 2021 That’s a reflection of growing concerns over Chinese President Xi Jinping as the driving force of a dangerous, emerging hegemon. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "Xi’s China is preparing for a new world order," 15 Dec. 2020 There have been clear signs over the past two decades, however, that Americans are tiring of taking on this role, while much of the world, equally, is cooling on the US as its hegemon, and is eager to step into its shoes. — Angela Dewan, CNN, "America's role as global leader all but died under Trump. The world was outgrowing it anyway," 1 Nov. 2020 As time passed, smaller countries didn’t want to go up against the regional hegemon and American companies had become too globalized to care, so China was never held to account. — Lydia Depillis, ProPublica, "Robert Lighthizer Blew Up 60 Years of Trade Policy. Nobody Knows What Happens Next.," 13 Oct. 2020 Ever since, statesmen and scholars have grappled with the problem of how to deal with the reluctant hegemon at the heart of Europe. — The Economist, "The sleeping giant wakes up Thirty years after reunification, Germany is shouldering more responsibility," 3 Oct. 2020 In other words, the same businesses that promote the progressive reconstruction, radical reform, or transformation of the United States are intertwined with the revisionist great power that aims to replace the United States as global hegemon. — Matthew Continetti, National Review, "The Dialectic of Woke," 12 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hegemon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Hegemon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hegemon. Accessed 19 Apr. 2021.

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