VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

hegemony

noun·Advancedformal

Last updated

UK/hɪˈɡeməni/
US/hɪˈdʒeməni/

Meaning

  1. noununcountableformalspecialist

    Dominance or leadership of one country, group, or class over others, often without direct rule.

    Grammar: Formal; often followed by over, or used in phrases like cultural hegemony.

    Patterns

    • hegemony over something
    • global hegemony
    • cultural hegemony

    The essay examined media hegemony over public debate.

    After the war, one superpower sought global hegemony.

Common combinations

global hegemony
Global hegemony is hard to maintain in a multipolar world.
cultural hegemony
Critics discussed cultural hegemony in advertising.
hegemony over trade
The port once held hegemony over regional trade.

Synonyms and how they differ

dominance
Dominance is general control or greater power; hegemony implies leadership shaping an order.
supremacy
Supremacy is being highest or most powerful; hegemony can rest on consent and institutions, not only force.
primacy
Primacy means first rank or importance, often less coercive than hegemony.

Opposites

subordinationequalitydependence

Word family

hegemonic adjective
Dominant, especially in shaping ideas or institutions.
hegemon noun
A dominant state or leading power.

Commonly confused: hegemony or harmony?

hegemony vs harmony

Harmony is peaceful agreement; hegemony is dominance by one power.

Practice

Hegemony is closest in meaning to _____.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hegemony”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words