hierarchy.

An arrangement in which levels or members have different ranks or authority.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• organizational hierarchy
• hierarchy of needs

On the page

The diagram conceals the informal hierarchy within the organization.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Singular hierarchy; plural hierarchies. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation. Commonness: common.