HIERARCHY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does hierarchy mean? 

• HIERARCHY (noun)
  The noun HIERARCHY has 2 senses:

1. a series of ordered groupings of people or things within a system

2. the organization of people at different ranks in an administrative body

  Familiarity information: HIERARCHY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HIERARCHY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A series of ordered groupings of people or things within a system

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

put honesty first in her hierarchy of values

Hypernyms ("hierarchy" is a kind of...):

series (similar things placed in order or happening one after another)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hierarchy"):

celestial hierarchy (the collective body of angels)

data hierarchy (an arrangement of data consisting of sets and subsets such that every subset of a set is of lower rank than the set)

taxonomy (a classification of organisms into groups based on similarities of structure or origin etc)

Holonyms ("hierarchy" is a part of...):

scheme; system (a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole)

Derivation:

hierarchical (classified according to various criteria into successive levels or layers)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The organization of people at different ranks in an administrative body

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

hierarchy; pecking order; power structure

Hypernyms ("hierarchy" is a kind of...):

organisation; organization (a group of people who work together)

Meronyms (members of "hierarchy"):

hierarch (a person who holds a high position in a hierarchy)

Holonyms ("hierarchy" is a part of...):

administration; brass; establishment; governance; governing body; organisation; organization (the persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something)

 Context examples 

The hierarchy of groups and sub-groups within an organization.

(Organization Chart, NCI Thesaurus)

NOTE(S): Account for hierarchy in sites and relation to Study ID (tracker issue 23154).

(Planned Study Site, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

It’s nothing to fear—view what is coming as a necessary refresh to the hierarchy you work within.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Neuron is also used as a concept under brain in this hierarchy.

(Mouse Spinal Cord Neuron, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)

The Type attribute describes the role the BioSample holds in the treatment hierarchy.

(Biosample, NCI Thesaurus)

This relationship relates concepts through logical hierarchy and forms the foundation of a taxonomy.

(isa Relationship, NCI Thesaurus)

The vertical relationships consist of "isa" statements that form a logical hierarchy (taxonomy or subsumption graph).

(NCI Thesaurus Concept, NCI Thesaurus)

The NCI Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) Simplified Disease Classification (SDC), a three level hierarchy of Category, Sub-Category, and coding Term intended to provide an intuitive classification of neoplastic diseases to meet the needs of CTEP while still allowing reporting based on the Medical Dictionary for Drug Regulatory Reporting (MedDRA) terminology.

(NCI CTEP Simplified Disease Classification Terminology, NCI Thesaurus)