two-tier

American  

[too-teer] / ˈtuˈtɪər /

Or two-tiered

adjective

1. consisting of two tiers, floors, levels, or the like.

   a two-tier wedding cake.

2. consisting of two separate price structures, sets of regulations, etc..

   a two-tier fare system for subways and buses.

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two-tier British  

adjective

1. involving or comprising two levels of structure, policy, etc

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Etymology

Origin of two-tier

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

The result is a two-tier system: a global audience watching from home, and a smaller, more exclusive crowd inside the venue.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2026

Access to obesity treatment in the UK may be heading toward a two-tier system, raising concerns that some of the most vulnerable patients could be left without help.

From Science Daily • Jan. 4, 2026

“We ended up with like this two-tier economy where either you were an asset holder or you weren’t,” he said.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

Without these systemic changes, AI risks creating a two-tier workforce where a small group captures most opportunities and everyone else falls further behind.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 12, 2025

Small two-tier tables of tulip wood with delicate mountings were quite the rage, and small occasional pieces, the legs of which, like those of the chairs, are occasionally curved.

From Illustrated History of Furniture From the Earliest to the Present Time by Litchfield, Frederick