A social, religious, economic or political system or organization in which people or groups of people are ranked with some superior to others based on their status, authority or some other trait.
A body of authoritative officials organized in nested ranks.
Any group of objects ranked so that every one but the topmost is subordinate to a specified one above it.
The usually informal hierarchy of authority or command, often partial or approximate, as determined by the especially natural propensity for domination of different members of a specific group over each other, such as older brothers and sisters over their younger siblings.
The natural hierarchy of social status and dominance occurring in a group of birds.