Vocabulary
Hegemony: meaning and examples in English
Sign in to saveOne company may have the largest share of a local delivery market, set many of its usual practices, and influence what smaller rivals do. In that market, the company may have hegemony.
Use hegemony for a position of leading power or influence held by a country, group, company, or culture, and state the area where that influence operates.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
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hegemony /hɪˈɡem.ə.ni/
The short answer
Hegemony means a position of leading power or influence over other groups in a particular area, such as a region, market, or culture.
For years, one company held hegemony in the local delivery market.
Why it works: The company had more influence than its rivals in that market.
4 more examples
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The country sought hegemony over regional trade routes.
The country wanted a leading position that could shape trade in the region.
Not this:The country
joined regional trade talks. What changes: Joining talks means taking part. Seeking hegemony means seeking a leading influence over the area. -
The course examines the cultural hegemony of one language in international advertising.
The phrase points to one language having a strong influence on the advertising culture.
Not this:The course examines the
cultural historyof one language in international advertising. What changes: Cultural history describes past development. Cultural hegemony describes a leading influence within a culture. -
New services challenged the old platform's hegemony in online ticket sales.
The old platform had led the field, and the new services reduced its influence.
Not this:New services
copied the old platform's designfor online ticket sales. What changes: Copying a design concerns appearance. Challenging hegemony concerns the leading position in a field. -
The writer questions the hegemony of a few major media companies.
The writer questions the strong influence those companies have over the media field.
Not this:The writer questions
the reputationof a few major media companies. What changes: Reputation is what people think of a company. Hegemony is its leading power or influence.
Read the full guide
Name the area of influence when you use hegemony. A country can seek regional hegemony, a company can have market hegemony, and one set of ideas can have cultural hegemony. The word tells the reader who has the leading position and where it matters.
Start with leading influence
Use hegemony when one group has more power or influence than others in a named setting. The setting may be a region, an industry, a political system, or a cultural field. This word usually describes a relationship between several groups.
The publisher had hegemony in the city's textbook market for decades.
Name the group and the area
Hegemony needs context. Say whose influence you mean and where it operates. You can write the hegemony of one group, one group's hegemony, or hegemony over a region or activity. A clear area keeps the statement from sounding too broad.
The company lost its hegemony over the regional phone market.
Use it in politics, business, and culture
The word often appears with regional, political, economic, market, or cultural. Regional hegemony concerns influence among nearby countries. Market hegemony concerns a leading position in business. Cultural hegemony concerns ideas, language, media, or habits that strongly shape a culture.
The article links cultural hegemony to the repeated images used in global advertising.
Separate hegemony from monopoly and dominance
A monopoly is exclusive control by one seller in a market. Hegemony can exist when competitors remain, if one group still has the leading influence. Dominance is a broader word for being stronger or more powerful than others. Hegemony often adds the idea that the leading power shapes the choices of others.
A monopoly leaves no competing seller in a market. Hegemony allows competitors but gives one group the strongest influence. Dominance can describe any stronger position.
Check the claim and its tone
Hegemony can describe power without saying that the power is fair or unfair. In an analysis, show what supports the claim, such as market share, control of trade routes, policy influence, or repeated media patterns. Use a simpler word if you only mean that a group is popular or well known.
The report gave sales data before claiming that one brand had market hegemony.
Choose the word for the situation
A café has many regular customers, but several other cafés have similar sales. Does hegemony fit?
Probably not. Use popular or successful unless the café has a clear leading influence over the local market or the choices of other cafés.
Before you go
Remember this
Use hegemony for a leading position of power or influence over other groups in a named area. Say the hegemony of a group, a group's hegemony, or hegemony over or in a field. Choose monopoly when one seller has exclusive control of a market, and choose dominance when you need a broader word for being stronger than others.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Hegemony: meaning and examples in English"
What does hegemony mean?
Hegemony means a position of leading power or influence held by one country, group, company, or culture over others in a particular area. A company can have hegemony in a delivery market when it has more influence there than its rivals.
For years, one company held hegemony in the local delivery market.
How do you use hegemony in a sentence?
Use hegemony as a noun. You can write the hegemony of a group, a group's hegemony, hegemony over a region, or hegemony in a field. For example, a country may seek hegemony over regional trade routes.
For years, one company was well known in the local delivery market.
What is cultural hegemony?
Cultural hegemony describes strong influence over the ideas, language, images, media, or habits that shape a culture. A course might examine the cultural hegemony of one language in international advertising.
The country sought hegemony over regional trade routes.
Is hegemony the same as monopoly?
No. A monopoly means that one seller has exclusive control of a market. Hegemony means leading power or influence, which can exist even when other groups or businesses are still active.
The country joined regional trade talks.
Is hegemony positive or negative?
Hegemony is neutral by itself. It may sound critical when a writer is discussing unequal power or limited choice, but the word does not say whether the influence is good or bad. The evidence and context show the writer's view.
The course examines the cultural hegemony of one language in international advertising.