ˈhī-(ə-)ˌrär-kē
as in ladder
a scheme of rank or order
honesty sits at the top of my hierarchy of values
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of hierarchy
Advertisement The hierarchy of the event was also hard to miss, with homeless people reportedly evicted from the road leading to the venue and VIP motorcades shutting down the city with little regard for its residents.
—
Billy Perrigo, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
The Baptists have no hierarchy and no educational requirements for the pulpit.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
On the other hand, the Regency world of Bridgerton, for all of its post-racial politics, is still a classist hierarchy.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026
Paratici had advised replacing Thomas Frank as head coach as early as November, but the hierarchy wanted to keep him at the time.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hierarchy
Billy Perrigo, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
The Baptists have no hierarchy and no educational requirements for the pulpit.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
On the other hand, the Regency world of Bridgerton, for all of its post-racial politics, is still a classist hierarchy.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026
Paratici had advised replacing Thomas Frank as head coach as early as November, but the hierarchy wanted to keep him at the time.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hierarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hierarchy
Noun
-
The park includes a variety of bridges, tightropes, ladders and ziplines.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
21 Feb. 2026
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The result is a clearer product ladder.—
Amy Francombe,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Despite outperforming states like Texas and Missouri in some areas, the high cost of buying a home pushed Colorado’s ranking down.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
27 Feb. 2026
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Indianapolis didn't crack Nextdoor's list of the 20 friendliest cities in Indiana, but its separate ranking of neighborhoods in the Indy metro area finds plenty of cordiality in Central Indiana.—
Jordan Smith,
IndyStar,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There’s one more factor that needs to be taken into account on the largest of cosmic scales, including for the cosmic measurements of the event horizon of the black hole at the center of galaxy Messier 87, and that is the expansion of the Universe.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
25 Feb. 2026
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These are quibbles with a place whose essential proposition, privacy at a scale that no longer exists elsewhere in the Caribbean, remains effective.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hierarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hierarchy. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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