Hierarchy (Noun)
Meaning 1
A series of ordered groupings of people or things within a system; "put honesty first in her hierarchy of values".
Classification
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects.
Examples
- In a company with a rigid hierarchy, the CEO held absolute power and decision-making authority.
- The animal kingdom can be organized into a hierarchy, with apex predators at the top and prey animals at the bottom.
- In her personal hierarchy of needs, freedom was ranked higher than financial security.
- The church had a complex hierarchy of officials, from priests to bishops to cardinals.
- In a meritocratic society, talent and hard work should be at the top of the hierarchy of factors that determine success.
Related Words
Meaning 2
The organization of people at different ranks in an administrative body.
Classification
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects.
Examples
- The new manager immediately realized the company had a convoluted hierarchy, making decision-making slow and bureaucratic.
- At the top of the police hierarchy stood the Commissioner, responsible for strategic oversight.
- Many firms now avoid hierarchical management styles and try a flatter hierarchy where many colleagues at one rank answer directly to only two tiers up.
- Fingers could still point inside Boeing despite long plans ahead given if huge confusion follows both horizontal change towards layers downwards especially bureaucracy moving wide management without efficient rules supporting actual running direction changing decisions slowly changing time zones no staff required top all clearly upwards traditional upwards official employee big manager little simple tier steps if full for, effective under 'hierarchy'.
- In this type of hierarchical setup, each new department is an offspring of a previously established division that already has distinct roles and guidelines.