as in levels
the placement of someone or something in relation to others in a vertical arrangement
jobs in the upper echelons of the company pay quite well indeed
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Recent Examples of echelons
Cruelty and ruthlessness are deemed just, not only in the highest echelons of politics but also trickling down to daily life.
—
Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
There’s often a great deal of hype (some deserved, some not) and vendor promises about transformation and new echelons of efficiency.
—Eddy Azad, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Pop didn’t seem to fully go all-in on Grande until Sweetener and Thank U, Next catapulted her into the highest echelons of the genre.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2026
The film meticulously recreated their steps in linking the Watergate break-in and Republican ‘dirty tricks’ campaign to the highest echelons of power in America.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 May 2026
Weiss and others with similar beliefs are getting a boost from the highest echelons of the Israeli government.
—Shira Pinson, NBC news, 17 May 2026
Schaffer and other insiders point out that several of the issues that keep women directors from the highest echelons of the international film industry are systemic, from education and mentorship to financing and distribution.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Extrajudicial killings spread across the country when Duterte became president and Dela Rosa ascended the upper echelons of the national police force, according to Human Rights Watch.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
The Family Fun Pack are in the upper echelons of the family-influencing industry, in which parents invite social-media followers into their family’s life with constant streams of content.
—Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 13 May 2026
Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
There’s often a great deal of hype (some deserved, some not) and vendor promises about transformation and new echelons of efficiency.
—Eddy Azad, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Pop didn’t seem to fully go all-in on Grande until Sweetener and Thank U, Next catapulted her into the highest echelons of the genre.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2026
The film meticulously recreated their steps in linking the Watergate break-in and Republican ‘dirty tricks’ campaign to the highest echelons of power in America.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 May 2026
Weiss and others with similar beliefs are getting a boost from the highest echelons of the Israeli government.
—Shira Pinson, NBC news, 17 May 2026
Schaffer and other insiders point out that several of the issues that keep women directors from the highest echelons of the international film industry are systemic, from education and mentorship to financing and distribution.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Extrajudicial killings spread across the country when Duterte became president and Dela Rosa ascended the upper echelons of the national police force, according to Human Rights Watch.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
The Family Fun Pack are in the upper echelons of the family-influencing industry, in which parents invite social-media followers into their family’s life with constant streams of content.
—Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for echelons
Noun
-
The top 10 stocks account for about 45% of the index, far below the concentration levels seen in Taiwan and South Korea.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
The list features 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 99 players and 39 coaches from lower levels.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Müller joins their ranks with these affectionate images.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
His victim, in her unassailable purity, resists him, thereby proving that the arrivistes populating the ranks of England’s most upwardly mobile class had a moral edge over the nobility.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Japanese companies also occupy critical positions throughout the semiconductor value chain, from fabrication equipment and specialty materials to NAND flash memory production, Barclays said.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
City Manager Mark Dunning said the budgets City Council members voted to advance Tuesday night, which would go into effect July 1, would not cut current city employees but would maintain a hiring freeze the city implemented last month on around 30 open positions across a range of departments.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Take inventory of your life this year, and let go of people, places and things that have held you back.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
-
Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, The Paris Review Daily, The Cut, Tin House, The Guardian, Guernica, The Normal School, The Poetry Foundation, Lambda Literary, and many other places.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Texas dominated many national rankings in the report as well, with the ZIP code encompassing the Dallas suburb of Crandall ranking second on the list and a more urban Dallas ZIP code ranking 10th.—
Faith Bugenhagen,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Echelons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/echelons. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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