Meaning & use
hierarchy
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A system in which people or things are arranged in levels, from highest to lowest in rank or importance.
Grammar: Countable for a particular structure: a rigid hierarchy; uncountable as a general idea.
Patterns
- the hierarchy of something
- at the top of the hierarchy
In the army, rank follows a strict hierarchy.
She quickly rose through the company hierarchy.
Psychologists describe a hierarchy of human needs.
nounsingularformal
The group of people in power at the top of an organization.
Grammar: Takes a singular or plural verb in British English: the church hierarchy has spoken.
The church hierarchy rejected the proposal.
Word forms
| plural | hierarchies |
|---|
Common combinations
- social hierarchy
- The village had a clear social hierarchy.
- rigid hierarchy
- A rigid hierarchy slowed decisions.
- top of the hierarchy
- He sits at the top of the hierarchy.
- corporate hierarchy
- She climbed the corporate hierarchy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pecking order
- Pecking order is informal and stresses who dominates whom in a group.
- ranking
- Ranking is a list by score, not a structure of authority.
- chain of command
- Chain of command means the line of authority for giving orders, narrower than hierarchy.
Word family
- hierarchical adjective
- arranged in levels
- hierarchically adverb
- in a ranked way
Practice
In a strict ___, workers must ask their manager before talking to the director.
Choose one answer.
Hierarchy names a system of ranked levels of authority. The other options are unrelated nouns that merely look similar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hierarchy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.