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.
Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
In his second term, however, Trump is accompanying radical rhetoric about regional hegemony with real action.
—Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2025
Following in this line of thought, the current state of the culture wars is evidently a reaction to hegemony that progressive concepts achieved, particularly in the immediately preceding period.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Some conservatives continue to favor aid for the nation Russia invaded, a stance resembling the anti-Russia position of the Cold War, updated for a world of American hegemony.
—David Byrne, National Review, 23 Mar. 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 13 Apr. 2025.
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