hierarch
Top religious authority
A hierarch is a person at the top of a religious hierarchy—a high priest, bishop, or other chief figure in a sacred order.
The term extends to leaders of any ranked system: the hierarchs of the Communist Party, corporate hierarchs.
The word emphasizes position within a structure of authority rather than personal qualities.
Diocesan clergy head
- archbishopSenior prelate over province
- patriarchMale head of family
- popeCatholic Church's supreme leader
- cardinalOf foremost importance
prelate · primate · metropolitan · abbot · prior · pontiff · ecclesiastic · cleric
One who guides others
commander · master · ruler · director · administrator · governor · potentate · overlord
Level within hierarchy
- stratumHorizontal layer of material
- tierHorizontal structural layer
- levelHorizontal or uniform position
- gradationIncremental transition between stages
pecking order · seniority · precedence · stratification · ladder · chain of command · position · standing
Pointed polyhedral solid
- organizationStructured group with purpose
- systemConnected parts forming whole
- frameworkUnderlying support system
- taxonomyScience of categorical arrangement
classification · arrangement · configuration · bureaucracy · apparatus · institution · establishment · chain
bishop
Diocesan clergy head
- archbishopSenior prelate over province
- patriarchMale head of family
- popeCatholic Church's supreme leader
cardinal · prelate · primate · metropolitan · abbot · prior · pontiff · ecclesiastic · cleric · deacon
leader
One who guides others
overseer · commander · master · ruler · director · administrator · governor · potentate · overlord · sovereign
echelon
Level within hierarchy
- stratumHorizontal layer of material
- tierHorizontal structural layer
- levelHorizontal or uniform position
gradation · pecking order · seniority · precedence · stratification · ladder · chain of command · position · standing · station
pyramid
Pointed polyhedral solid
- organizationStructured group with purpose
- systemConnected parts forming whole
- frameworkUnderlying support system
taxonomy · classification · arrangement · configuration · bureaucracy · apparatus · institution · establishment · chain · network
- Catholic Clergypope, pontiff, cardinal, bishop, monsignor
- church authoritypapacy, bishops, papal authority, popes, papal supremacy
- church titlesabbot, abbess, bishop, deacon, priest
- clergypriest, bishop, pope, nun, monk
- religious leadersabbot, abbess, archbishop, bishop, pope
- Orthodox Churchpatriarch, patriarchate, metropolitan, holy synod, Greek Orthodox
hierarchsubordinate
One lower in rank
underling · follower · inferior · minion · rank-and-file
hierarchlayperson
Non-specialist or unordained person
layman · laywoman · laity · congregant · parishioner
hierarchegalitarian
Equality principle supporter
anarchist · anti-authoritarian · commoner · democrat · collectivist
- church hierarchyRanked religious leadership structure
- hierarchical systemStructure with ranked levels
- organizational hierarchyRanked structure of authority
- social hierarchyStratified arrangement of status
- hierarchy of needsOrdered human motivations theory
- government hierarchyRanked system of officials
hierarchy, hierarchical, hierarchies, hierarchically, hierarchic, hierarchal, nonhierarchical