social structure

[soh-shuhl struhk-cher] / ˈsoʊ ʃəl ˈstrʌk tʃər /

NOUN

pecking order

Synonyms

STRONGEST

food chain hierarchy power structure

WEAK

chain of command class structure corporate ladder dominance due order echelons grouping line of dominance order placing position ranking scale social hierarchy social ladder social pyramid social stratification

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The law stipulates that under the "right to self-identity", settlements are entitled to protect and preserve their "social structure".

From Barron's • Oct. 20, 2025

The show’s thorough, wonderfully readable catalog refers to the power of “funerary magnificence” in the kingdom’s social structure.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps lost its commander, but the corps itself survives, and it controls much of the country’s economy and social structure.

From Slate • Jun. 17, 2025

Pilot whales are social creatures and live in a matriarch-style social structure, with the oldest female seen as having the authority in the pod.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2024

That social structure is ideal for domestication, because humans in effect take over the dominance hierarchy.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

social structure

Example Sentences

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