hegemony
/hɪˈd͡ʒɛ.mə.ni/
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.
hegemony means Domination, influence, or authority over another, especially by one political group over a society or by one nation over others. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 76 out of 100.
Why this word is great
HEGEMONY — [Noun] The political, economic, or cultural dominance of one group over others, secured not by force alone but through a framework of consent, where the ruling ideology is accepted as the natural order. From Ancient Greek ἡγεμονία (hēgemonía, "leadership, command"), from ἡγεμών (hēgemṓn, "leader, guide"), from ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai, "to lead"). Unlike "dominance," which implies power exerted through overt control, or "supremacy," which suggests a formal, acknowledged pinnacle of rank, hegemony is the subtler art of making power feel like common sense. It is the unspoken curriculum of a school, the default language of global commerce, and the aesthetic that defines what is modern or desirable—a quiet colonization of the mind that makes the world seem settled, until one remembers how softly empires are built inside the skull.
noun
- Domination, influence, or authority over another, especially by one political group over a society or by one nation over others.“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.”
- 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.“The two political parties battled viciously for hegemony.”