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Glite Dictionary
🚫 Against hierarchy 🙅 Hierarchy opponent
antihierarchical

antihierarchical

9.4
Not accepting systems where some people have more power than others
  • adjective
  • /ˌæntiˈhaɪəˌrɑːkɪkəl/
translation icon : antihierárquico
  • The contemporary democratic family strives to be as egalitarian and antihierarchical as possible.

Examples

  • In an antihierarchical system, everyone is encouraged to share their ideas regardless of their position.

  • A long dialogue in Middle Dutch, probably from the 1330s, mystical and antihierarchical in orientation, asks, among many questions, who counts as "peasant boors" (dorper).

    Academic text (2002)

  • Many modern workplaces are embracing antihierarchical practices to foster collaboration and creativity.

  • The activist group promotes antihierarchical values in its efforts to create a more inclusive society.

Synonyms

nonhierarchical
vsantihierarchical
7.7

Organized so no person or group is above another

is actively opposed to ranked systems and rejects their authority
nonhierarchic
vsantihierarchical
8.0

Organized without different levels of authority

is opposed to ranked organization and seeks to remove rank based control

Antonyms

hierarchical
36 6.7

Placed in levels with some people having more power than others

How Hierarchical

authoritarian
58 7.5
hierarchical
36 6.7
antihierarchical
9.4
egalitarian
20 7.6

Surface Forms

antihierarchical positive

Morphology

antihierarchical = hierarchical (transparent) = anti + hierarchy + al

The word is a regular and clear prefixation of anti- to hierarchical, with the opposition meaning directly recoverable.

Etymology

The word antihierarchical comes from anti- meaning 'against' and hierarchy meaning 'a ranked order' or 'levels of power', so it describes being against systems with bosses at the top.