hierarchical
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- antihierarchic adjective
- antihierarchical adjective
- antihierarchically adverb
- hierarchically adverb
- nonhierarchic adjective
- nonhierarchical adjective
- nonhierarchically adverb
Etymology
Origin of hierarchical
Explanation
If something is hierarchical it has clear levels of power and importance, such as a hierarchical corporation that has the boss at the top, or the hierarchical social order of junior high school popularity. It's lonely at the top. That pretty much sums up hierarchical, pronounced "high-eh-RAR-ki-cal." In a hierarchical structure, people or groups are arranged according to ability or status. It helps to think of a triangle, with the leader at the highest point, layers of managers under him or her, and at the base, or widest part, the masses of workers who make up the largest part of the organization.
Vocabulary lists containing hierarchical
Reading: Informational - High School
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Sapiens
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Guns, Germs, and Steel
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This is how deeply hierarchical and authoritarian institutions function.
From Salon • Jan. 20, 2026
Since the raid, U.S. prosecutors have softened their earlier depiction of the Cartel de los Soles as a hierarchical organization led by Maduro, instead framing it as a patronage network among corrupt senior officials.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
"However, there is no pressing need for immediate interim relief at this stage, given that some 300 officers and staff have already declared their involvement in Masonic and other hierarchical associations."
From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026
As is the case in all hierarchical organizations, the problem starts at the top.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025
Soon after her entry into the King’s lab, she had rebelled against its hierarchical character, taking offense because her first-rate crystallographic ability was not given formal recognition.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
