hierarchy
noun
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What did hierarchy originally mean?
The earliest meaning of hierarchy in English has to do with the ranks of different types of angels in the celestial order. The idea of categorizing groups according to rank readily transferred to the organization of priestly or other governmental rule. The word hierarchy is, in fact, related to a number of governmental words in English, such as monarchy, anarchy, and oligarchy, although it itself is now very rarely used in relation to government.
The word comes from the Greek hierarchēs, which was formed by combining the words hieros, meaning “supernatural, holy,” and archos, meaning. “ruler.” Hierarchy has continued to spread its meaning beyond matters ecclesiastical and governmental, and today is commonly found used in reference to any one of a number of different forms of graded classification.
Examples of hierarchy in a Sentence
Geraldine Brooks, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2001
Whereas the monkeys normally hew to strict hierarchies when it comes to who gets the best food and who grooms whom, there are no obvious top or rotten bananas in the sharing of millipede secretions.
—Natalie Angier, New York Times, 5 Dec. 2000
The idea that social order has to come from a centralized, rational, bureaucratic hierarchy was very much associated with the industrial age.
—Francis Fukuyama, Atlantic, May 1999
The church hierarchy faced resistance to some of their decisions.
He was at the bottom of the corporate hierarchy.
a rigid hierarchy of social classes
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Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023
While coyote packs do maintain some version of an alpha, their hierarchy is not as well-defined as the alpha in wolf packs.
—Hampton Bourne, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2023
In recent years, more women have moved into prominent positions throughout the league, with several rising to decision-making executive roles to redraw pro football’s hierarchy.
—Tom Withers, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Nov. 2023
What's more, the mastery of fire, the development of language, the origin of the division of labor, the beginning of social hierarchies and even the emergence of culture could be related to hunting and eating meat.
—Katharina Menne, Scientific American, 25 Oct. 2023
India’s caste system evolved over centuries into a rigid social hierarchy based on notions of purity, with a person’s caste assigned at birth.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 9 Oct. 2023
Birth order can also create a hierarchy: Older siblings are often asked to serve as babysitters, role models, and advice-givers for their younger siblings.
—Sarah Sloat, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2023
Maybe some of them see a chance to rise through a hierarchy, despite the murky morality of the drug business.
—Deborah Bonello, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023
While some people may thrive on rigid structures, respond well to hard deadlines and appreciate a clear hierarchy, others will crave unfettered freedom and will happily push themselves.
—Barnaby Lashbrooke, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hierarchy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English ierarchie rank or order of holy beings, from Anglo-French jerarchie, from Medieval Latin hierarchia, from Late Greek, from Greek hierarchēs
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing hierarchy
Dictionary Entries Near hierarchy
Cite this Entry
“Hierarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hierarchy. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
hierarchy
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on hierarchy
Nglish: Translation of hierarchy for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of hierarchy for Arabic Speakers
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