1. a system of organization in which people or things are ranked according to status or authority
2. a group of people or things arranged in order of rank, grade, or class

Examples

• The company has a strict hierarchy with clear levels of management.
• In the military hierarchy, generals outrank colonels.
• The social hierarchy of the ancient civilization was based on wealth and birth.
• She climbed the corporate hierarchy to become CEO.
• The school’s administrative hierarchy includes principals, vice principals, and department heads.
• Scientists use a hierarchy to classify living organisms into kingdoms, phyla, and species.