ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsHhierarchy
ISEE/SSATmedium
hierarchy
Meaning: a system that ranks people or things according to status or authority
hierarchy in a sentence
How hierarchy is used in real sentences:
In the company hierarchy, the regional manager reports directly to the vice president.
New recruits quickly learned the unspoken hierarchy among the older students living in the dorm.
“Although later histories cast her as the central protagonist, her government depended on a hierarchy of councillors, secretaries, sheriffs, and messengers.”
— from the passage The Queen's Paper Roads
Synonyms for hierarchy
Other words for hierarchy — ranking, pecking-order and chain-of-command — carry the same meaning.
- ranking
- pecking-order
- chain-of-command
Antonyms of hierarchy
Words that mean the opposite of hierarchy:
- equality
Where it comes from
From Greek hierarkhia 'rule of a high priest'
Word parts
- arch — ruler, chief, first
hierarchy: hier- (sacred) + arch (rule) + -y (system of)
Memory hook
HIGH-erarchy — some people sit HIGHer in the ranking than others.