Hierarchical

//ˌhaɪəˈɹɑːkɪkəl// adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Pertaining to a hierarchy. not-comparable
  2. 2
    Of or pertaining to an ecclesiastic or priestly order. not-comparable
  3. 3
    Classified or arranged according to various criteria into successive ranks or grades. not-comparable

    "It has been said that only a hierarchical society with a leisure class at the top can produce works of art."

Adjective
  1. 1
    classified according to various criteria into successive levels or layers wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
class consciousgradablegradedhierarchalhierarchicvertical

Example

More examples

"Japan's problem has been that she has continued to view international relations as an extension of her hierarchical interpersonal relations at home."

Etymology

From hierarchy + -ical, compare French hiérarchique.

Related phrases

hierarchical database

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.