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

hierarchically

ˌhī-(ə-)ˈrär-ki-k(ə-)lē 

also hir-ˈär-

adverb

Examples of hierarchical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead of top-down, hierarchical approaches that mirror old authoritarian regimes, my experience has shown that a servant leadership-style approach is significantly more effective. —Midhat Zwayen, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Thomasset and Rousson stand here for the festival’s larger programming team, which all share equal footing in the non-hierarchical Clermont-Ferrand curatorial structure. —Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026

To handle the complexity of managing two different reactor types simultaneously, the project team utilized hierarchical digital simulations to design the control logic. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Jan. 2026

Much of the drama is still best understood as crisis management within an existing hierarchical order. —Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Time, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see hierarchy

First Known Use

1561, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hierarchical

• anti-hierarchical

Rhymes for hierarchical

• oligarchical
• anarchical

Kids Definition

hierarchical

adjective

hi·​er·​ar·​chi·​cal ˌhī-(ə-)ˈrär-ki-kəl 

variants or hierarchic

-kik 

: of, relating to, or arranged in a hierarchy

hierarchically

-ˈrär-ki-k(ə-)lē 

adverb