hegemony

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

leadership or dominance of one state over others through a combination of coercive power, economic leverage, and ideational influence; in realist theory, a hegemonic state sets the rules of the international system; Gramsci's concept of cultural hegemony extends this to ideological dominance; the post-Cold War era is often described as one of American hegemony, though its durability is debated