hierarchical
adjective
hi·er·ar·chi·cal
ˌhī-(ə-)ˈrär-ki-kəl 
also hir-ˈär-
variants
or hierarchic
ˌhī-(ə-)ˈrär-kik
also hir-ˈär-
: of, relating to, or arranged in a hierarchy
a hierarchical society
a hierarchical order in the church
Examples of hierarchical in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Below Deck is a franchise that primarily trades on fantasy and escapism, but the hard reality is that yachting is an industry that is male-dominated and hierarchical, where employment is precarious.
—
Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2023
The novelty of these sermons, the physical distance of the mosques, and the hierarchical structure of Shiite practice all helped mobilize residents in a way that the bonds of tribe, ideology, and Sunni practice could not.
—Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
He was promoted too quickly in a country that for all its rapid modernization is still rigidly hierarchical and places great cultural value on climbing the ranks through slow, steady, hard work.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2023
Deng concluded that China needed more of a market economy than the strictly hierarchical, top-down command economy established by Mao Zedong.
—Win McCormack, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2023
Research was focusing on primates from Africa and Asia, where dominant males frequently fought one another to impose or maintain their power in highly hierarchical societies.
—Diarlei Rodrigues and Diane Jeantet, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2023
The hierarchical elements of music composition (pitch, range, dynamics, tempo) are analogous to the hierarchical elements of protein structure.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Mar. 2023
They’re kind of often set up in a kind of hierarchical system.
—Quartz Staff, Quartz, 2 May 2023
The Outcast Motorcycle Gang has a hierarchical structure and uses ranks, similar to the military.
—Alexandra Koch, USA TODAY, 6 July 2023
See More
Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2023
The novelty of these sermons, the physical distance of the mosques, and the hierarchical structure of Shiite practice all helped mobilize residents in a way that the bonds of tribe, ideology, and Sunni practice could not.
—Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
He was promoted too quickly in a country that for all its rapid modernization is still rigidly hierarchical and places great cultural value on climbing the ranks through slow, steady, hard work.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2023
Deng concluded that China needed more of a market economy than the strictly hierarchical, top-down command economy established by Mao Zedong.
—Win McCormack, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2023
Research was focusing on primates from Africa and Asia, where dominant males frequently fought one another to impose or maintain their power in highly hierarchical societies.
—Diarlei Rodrigues and Diane Jeantet, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2023
The hierarchical elements of music composition (pitch, range, dynamics, tempo) are analogous to the hierarchical elements of protein structure.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Mar. 2023
They’re kind of often set up in a kind of hierarchical system.
—Quartz Staff, Quartz, 2 May 2023
The Outcast Motorcycle Gang has a hierarchical structure and uses ranks, similar to the military.
—Alexandra Koch, USA TODAY, 6 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hierarchical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Phrases Containing hierarchical
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Cite this Entry
“Hierarchical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hierarchical. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
hierarchical
adjective
hi·er·ar·chi·cal
ˌhī-(ə-)ˈrär-ki-kəl
variants
or hierarchic
: of, relating to, or arranged in a hierarchy
More from Merriam-Webster on hierarchical
Nglish: Translation of hierarchical for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of hierarchical for Arabic Speakers
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