hegemony

The power of one country or group to lead or control others.

• The country sought regional hegemony.
• Smaller nations challenged its military hegemony.
• The party maintained hegemony over national politics for decades.

How to use it: hegemony over someone/something (The empire established hegemony over its neighbors.)

Similar words: dominance, supremacy

Common phrases: regional hegemony, political hegemony, hegemony over something

Control by a social group that others partly accept as normal or right.

• The essay examines cultural hegemony.
• Schools can help maintain the ruling class’s hegemony.
• Their campaign challenged a hegemony supported by widely accepted beliefs.

Common phrases: cultural hegemony, class hegemony, hegemony of something