ˈhī-(ə-)ˌrär-kē
as in ladder
a scheme of rank or order
honesty sits at the top of my hierarchy of values
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Recent Examples of hierarchy
Because krump was born from the inner city and has roots in gang culture, there is a hierarchy that comes with it.
—
Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2026
New social hierarchies emerged.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026
Even ordinary hierarchy can begin to feel psychologically threatening in a culture that treats discomfort itself as a problem.
—Jonathan Alpert Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Baby boomers—who currently occupy a significant share of managerial and executive roles—built their careers inside a workplace culture defined by formality, hierarchy, and personal relationships cultivated face-to-face.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hierarchy
Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2026
New social hierarchies emerged.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026
Even ordinary hierarchy can begin to feel psychologically threatening in a culture that treats discomfort itself as a problem.
—Jonathan Alpert Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Baby boomers—who currently occupy a significant share of managerial and executive roles—built their careers inside a workplace culture defined by formality, hierarchy, and personal relationships cultivated face-to-face.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hierarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hierarchy
Noun
-
After half an hour of mat stretches, Mira and two other students climbed onto Swedish ladders, hung with their backs to the wall, and did a set of leg lifts, tapping their feet against their heads.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The ladder shifted down, and barely anyone noticed — because the absolute numbers kept going up.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
What the ranking also does not reflect is the work happening at the local level.—
Sooji Nam,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
-
Here’s a ranking of the UDFAs with the best chance to stick around with the Raiders in 2026, from least likely to most.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The thousands who came to see his 1857 painting of Niagara Falls, first in the United States and then in Britain, were astounded by its immense scale and unique perspective.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
To make those mini-hearts at scale, Sharma said, researchers use bioreactors that effectively mimic microgravity.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hierarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hierarchy. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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