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
His passing, while not expected to immediately alter the balance of power—given his retirement from the Supreme People’s Assembly in 2019—underscores a generational shift in North Korea’s upper echelons.
—
Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Grey typically isn’t a colour associated with fun, but the background, lettering, stripe down the middle and sleeve design, have defied logic to propel the Raiders into the higher echelons of these rankings.
—Ajay Rose, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Few things are more luxurious than a cashmere sweater, but the luscious fabric isn’t reserved solely for the upper echelons of society.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2025
That’s essentially what happened in the American Revolution, most of the founding fathers were of the wealthiest echelons of the colonies.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
His death has reverberated across the Republican Party — from the grassroots through the upper echelons of the White House.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 21 Sep. 2025
Her site, which grew out of a blog about motherhood and home décor, had become perhaps the most popular chronicler of Kennedy’s rise, offering half a million Substack followers an inside look at the Secretary’s new life in the upper echelons of the American right.
—Clare Malone, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Enninful announced his departure from the upper echelons of Vogue the summer prior to his final issue.
—Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
These behemoths are primarily technology firms, which dominate the upper echelons of the index due to their growth in areas like AI, cloud computing, and digital services.
—Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025
Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Grey typically isn’t a colour associated with fun, but the background, lettering, stripe down the middle and sleeve design, have defied logic to propel the Raiders into the higher echelons of these rankings.
—Ajay Rose, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Few things are more luxurious than a cashmere sweater, but the luscious fabric isn’t reserved solely for the upper echelons of society.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2025
That’s essentially what happened in the American Revolution, most of the founding fathers were of the wealthiest echelons of the colonies.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
His death has reverberated across the Republican Party — from the grassroots through the upper echelons of the White House.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 21 Sep. 2025
Her site, which grew out of a blog about motherhood and home décor, had become perhaps the most popular chronicler of Kennedy’s rise, offering half a million Substack followers an inside look at the Secretary’s new life in the upper echelons of the American right.
—Clare Malone, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Enninful announced his departure from the upper echelons of Vogue the summer prior to his final issue.
—Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
These behemoths are primarily technology firms, which dominate the upper echelons of the index due to their growth in areas like AI, cloud computing, and digital services.
—Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for echelons
Noun
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Therefore, the present work supports the belief that rational materials design at both the macro and atomic levels can solve long-standing challenges, according to a press release.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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In its final form, the sky-high pad spanned a whopping 13,300 square feet across two levels, with four bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a gym, a massage room, wine storage, and plenty of sprawling gallery walls to display the performer’s art collection.—
Mekita Rivas,
Architectural Digest,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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She was assigned to the EVOLVE brand before she was let go in October as part of a revamp of the company's developmental ranks.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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The move also helps Netflix compete with YouTube, which has risen in ranks as the most popular platform for podcasts.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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These cuts mean reducing supply budgets in most departments, delaying the purchase of new math curriculum and Chromebooks, freezing hiring for nonclassroom positions and canceling contract agreements that will not disrupt operations.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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That could include adding positions like peer support specialists, addressing retention challenges like access to child care and establishing partnerships between hospitals and nearby colleges to produce a steady stream of workers.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The presence of liquid water, heat and the right chemicals (such as phosphorus and complex hydrocarbons) means that its sub-surface ocean is believed to be one of the best places in our solar system for life to have evolved outside the Earth, according to scientists.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
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That includes places like Birmingham and Huntsville in Alabama, Baton Rouge in Louisiana, Savannah in Georgia and Tampa and Fort Myers in Florida.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Echelons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/echelons. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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