Definition of HIERARCHY (original) (raw)
2
a
: a ruling body of clergy organized into orders or ranks each subordinate to the one above it
especially : the bishops of a province or nation
b
: church government by a hierarchy
3
: a body of persons in authority
4
: the classification of a group of people according to ability or to economic, social, or professional standing
also : the group so classified
5
: a graded or ranked series
Did you know?
The earliest meaning of hierarchy in English has to do with the ranks of different types of angels in the celestial order. The idea of categorizing groups according to rank readily transferred to the organization of priestly or other governmental rule. The word hierarchy is, in fact, related to a number of governmental words in English, such as monarchy, anarchy, and oligarchy, although it itself is now very rarely used in relation to government.
The word comes from the Greek hierarchēs, which was formed by combining the words hieros, meaning “supernatural, holy,” and archos, meaning. “ruler.” Hierarchy has continued to spread its meaning beyond matters ecclesiastical and governmental, and today is commonly found used in reference to any one of a number of different forms of graded classification.
Synonyms
Examples of hierarchy in a Sentence
… he wrote a verse whose metaphors were read somewhere in the Baathist hierarchy as incitement to Kurdish nationalism. —
Geraldine Brooks, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2001 Whereas the monkeys normally hew to strict hierarchies when it comes to who gets the best food and who grooms whom, there are no obvious top or rotten bananas in the sharing of millipede secretions. —Natalie Angier, New York Times, 5 Dec. 2000 The idea that social order has to come from a centralized, rational, bureaucratic hierarchy was very much associated with the industrial age. —Francis Fukuyama, Atlantic, May 1999
The church hierarchy faced resistance to some of their decisions. He was at the bottom of the corporate hierarchy. a rigid hierarchy of social classes
Recent Examples on the Web The hierarchy would be: title, subtitle, author’s name. —Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2024 Since taking over a franchise in complete disarray in 2017, Shanahan has returned the Niners to their rightful spot in the highest levels of the NFL’s hierarchy. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2024 Here, the form of the Jacquard weaving helps question contemporary art’s hierarchies of value. —K. L. H. Wells, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2024 And the affair that takes place is in the workplace, where, in America, less than in Europe, there’s a real hierarchy and a lot more rules about what’s allowed and what’s not allowed. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hierarchy 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hierarchy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English ierarchie rank or order of holy beings, from Anglo-French jerarchie, from Medieval Latin hierarchia, from Late Greek, from Greek hierarchēs
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of hierarchy was in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near hierarchy
Cite this Entry
“Hierarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hierarchy. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
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Last Updated: 23 Sep 2024 - Definition revised
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