anti-hierarchical

adjective

an·​ti-hi·​er·​ar·​chi·​cal ˌan-tē-ˌhī-(ə-)ˈrär-ki-kəl  ˌan-tī- 

also -hir-ˈär-

variants or less commonly antihierarchical

1

: opposed to hierarchy

… a habit of mind that was secular, rationalist, and anti-hierarchical.

—Mary Gordon

2

: deliberately or emphatically not hierarchical

Such an engagement was born of an equalitarian, consensus-building, antihierarchical approach to leadership that created its mobilization structure.

—Belinda Robnett

Examples of anti-hierarchical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The open-source, anti-hierarchical structure came partially out of necessity. —James Folta, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for anti-hierarchical

• anarchical
• hierarchical
• oligarchical