hegemony
noun
-ˈge-
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Hegemony refers to a kind of domination. It was borrowed in the mid-16th century from the Greek word hēgemonia, a noun formed from the verb hēgeisthai, “to lead.” At first hegemony was used specifically to refer to the control once wielded by ancient Greek states; later it was applied to domination by other political actors. By the 19th century, the word had acquired a second sense referring to the social or cultural influence wielded by a dominant entity over others of its kind, a sense employed by design scholar Joshua Langman when describing the use of found objects by French artist Marcel Duchamp (he of notorious readymade Fountain fame) as a means “to question and criticize the values of the artistic hegemony by eschewing craft entirely.”
Examples of hegemony in a Sentence
Stephen Jay Gould, Science, 14 Jan. 2000
When Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, in June of 1941, distracted Japan's traditional rival for hegemony in East Asia, Japanese expansionists saw a historic opportunity.
—David M. Kennedy, Atlantic, March 1999
If mermaids had ceased to challenge scientific hegemony, other similarly mythological creatures rushed in to fill their places in Victorian hearts and minds.
—Harriet Ritvo, The Platypus and the Mermaid, 1997
They discussed the national government's hegemony over their tribal community.
European intellectuals have long debated the consequences of the hegemony of American popular culture around the world.
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 1 May 2025
The President’s ironclad hegemony had become a pathetic circus of blunders until the IMF deal, threatening to prove campaign predictions of amateurism and incapacity to govern true, just as the campaign for the midterm elections gets under way.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
But if recognized and redirected, these forces could form the foundation of a more focused and sustainable strategy; one that sheds the overreach of liberal hegemony without surrendering the core strengths of a liberal order.
—Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2025
For other countries, this coincidence of self-interest and multilateralism—previously a defining characteristic of U.S. hegemony—is vital for sustaining international cooperation.
—Ngaire Woods, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hegemony
Cite this Entry
“Hegemony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hegemony. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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