-kə̇kəl, -kēk- adjective
or hi·er·ar·chic -kik, -kēk
Etymology: Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French hierarchique, from Medieval Latin hierarchicus, from hierarchia + Latin -icus -ic, -ical
1. : of, relating to, or controlled by a religious hierarchy
the liturgy of the mass presupposes … the hierarchical order of church and society corresponds to the divine hierarchy — Jacob Taubes
2.
a. : of an authoritarian or aristocratic character : stratified
although the hierarchical federal arrangement is typical, there are many organizations which are unitary — D.D.McKean
only a hierarchical society with a leisure class at the top can produce works of art — Partisan Review
b. : having the power to control : influential
a denial … due to pressure from a political or hierarchical source interfering with the due course of judicial proceedings — M.R.Cohen
3. : of or relating to a classification of people according to artistic, social, economic, or other criteria
a hierarchical feeling has grown up in Italy about the standings of the artists — R.M.Coates
the hierarchical status of a child in relation to other members of the family — Norman Cameron
the tailor, department head, and floor supervisor were summoned, appealed to, and appalled in hierarchic succession — Marvin Barrett
4. : of, relating to, or constituting a related series : sequential
the hierarchical arrangement of cultures constructed by the 19th century anthropologists — Henry Orenstein
• hi·er·ar·chi·cal·ly -kə̇k(ə)lē, -kēk-, -li adverb