variants
also peck orders
as in rankings
the way in which people or things in a group or organization are placed in a series of levels with different importance or status
As an assistant manager, he was pretty low in the company's pecking order.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pecking orders
hierarchies
Noun
-
Racial hierarchies may be scrambling, but the reality that the existing global order was birthed to entrench racist beliefs cannot be erased.—
Zachariah Mampilly,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Apr. 2025 -
While Henry worries about the risks of invasion by Spain or of a religious civil war, Cromwell, whom nobles nickname Crumb for his low birth, envisions a world that’s less beholden to ancient hierarchies.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Pecking orders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pecking%20orders. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share