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.”
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.
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
But this year, ahead of the trophy’s tenth birthday, Emmy forecasters are looking at a new late-night host whose unconventional, six-episode pop-up-season show could bust up the hegemony.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 June 2024
The Kremlin’s sense that BRICS can be a refuge from the domineering hegemony of the United States has only grown more pronounced since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 24 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Hegemony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hegemony. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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