high-level

adjective

high-lev·​el ˈhī-ˈle-vəl 

1

: occurring, done, or placed at a high level

2

: being of high importance or rank

high-level diplomats

3

: of, relating to, or being a computer programming language (such as BASIC or Pascal) which is similar to a natural language (such as English) and in which each statement is translated by a compiler usually into several machine language instructions

4

: relating to or being nuclear waste that contains highly concentrated radioactive components which are environmentally hazardous

Examples of high-level in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Any high-level materials unsuited for standard handling are immediately separated. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026

And that disparity between the rhetoric that's coming from high-level Republicans in Washington and from these tech CEOs is quite striking. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

Siri Recap takes high-level notes of your conversations throughout the day and creates bulleted summaries. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026

The discoveries have sent shock waves around the country, sparked a high-level investigation and highlighted the scourge of femicide and high levels of violent crime. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for high-level

• daredevil
• sublevel
• bevel
• devil
• level
• multilevel

Kids Definition

high-level

adjective

high-lev·​el

ˈhī-ˈlev-əl

1

: being of high importance or rank

high-level officials

2

: relating to or being a computer programming language that is similar to a natural language (as English)

3

: relating to or being very radioactive nuclear waste