Hegemony
//hɪˈd͡ʒɛ.mə.ni// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Domination, influence, or authority over another, especially by one political group over a society or by one nation over others. countable, formal, uncountable
"The idea of a German republic and confederacy like the American, is surely less fantastical than a hegemony to which nobody is willing to submit."
- 2 the dominance or leadership of one social group or nation over others wordnet
- 3 Dominance of one social group over another, such that the ruling group or hegemon acquires some degree of consent from the subordinate, as opposed to dominance purely by force. countable, uncountable
"The two political parties battled viciously for hegemony."
Example
More examples"In order to maintain their hegemony, various mayors have tried to get their sons elected as successors after they have retired from office."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἡγεμονία (hēgemonía, “supremacy or leadership, chief command”), from ἡγεμών (hēgemṓn, “a leader, guide, commander, chief”), from ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai, “to lead”). Early 19th-century usage influenced by German Hegemonie.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.