hegemony
noun
-ˈge-
Did you know?
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.”
Synonyms
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.
Harsh V. Pant, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2024
Part of it will be deftly and slowly shifting money to constituencies that would, for the wrong reasons – politics and empowering different interest groups – begin to challenge the hegemony of LIHTC in the affordable housing world.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
The country must learn to stand on its own, Hayek said, and the end of Iranian hegemony could provide an opportunity.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024
Tehran, like Moscow, seeks to foment unrest among Americans, with the larger aim of undermining American global hegemony.
—David Shedd, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hegemony 
Dictionary Entries Near hegemony
Cite this Entry
“Hegemony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hegemony. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share