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
The people who live in these slums are at the bottom rung of India’s brutal caste and religious hierarchy.
—
Saumya Roy, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
What exactly is the hierarchy of these goals?
—Alan McPherson, The Conversation, 3 Jan. 2026
Set in the summer of 2003, at an all-boys water polo camp as socially anxious twelve-year-old Ben (Everett Blunck) struggles to fit into a ruthless social hierarchy.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2026
In Korea, where hierarchy determines many relationships, any person who is junior to you in experience in school, work, or field, is your hoobae.
—Min Jin Lee, Vogue, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hierarchy
Saumya Roy, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
What exactly is the hierarchy of these goals?
—Alan McPherson, The Conversation, 3 Jan. 2026
Set in the summer of 2003, at an all-boys water polo camp as socially anxious twelve-year-old Ben (Everett Blunck) struggles to fit into a ruthless social hierarchy.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2026
In Korea, where hierarchy determines many relationships, any person who is junior to you in experience in school, work, or field, is your hoobae.
—Min Jin Lee, Vogue, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hierarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hierarchy
Noun
-
Store excess blankets in a linen closet, a floor basket, a blanket ladder, or a chest of drawers.—
Kristin Hohenadel,
The Spruce,
8 Jan. 2026
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After the flames were knocked down, crews used ladders to snake hoses inside to put out any hot spots.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Advertisement Submissions of organizational information, along with alumni feedback and input from experienced business-building professionals, will be used to determine inclusion in the America’s Top Incubators & Accelerators 2026 ranking, publishing in August.—
TIME Staff,
Time,
12 Jan. 2026
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With Texas’ loss, UConn received all 32 first-place votes for its first unanimous top ranking of the season.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The solution targets coastal erosion, flooding, and structural instability while addressing plastic waste at scale.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
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Known since the late 1980s for using erasure as a concept, Simmons extends his practice here into an architectural scale, transforming the main gallery into a vast blackboard environment where images emerge, blur, and refuse to fully disappear.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hierarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hierarchy. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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