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echelon

echelon

23 7.7
A level of people in a company or organization
  • noun
  • /ˈɛʃəˌlɒn/
translation icon : escalón
  • Soon, the top echelon of society, the yangban class, was rapidly expanding.
  • upper echelons
  • the top echelon
  • lower echelons

So there's three like echelons of Scientologists.

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Examples

  • Most of them served at the lowest echelon of the imperial hierarchy.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I'm from the lowest echelon of society in the UK.

  • This is like upper echelon Hollywood chess play, right?

  • The lower the echelon that was integrated, the more favorable the attitude change was.

    Academic text (1995)
  • We can overwork because we want to reach the next echelon of our career.

  • But I think the people who are really successful and get to the most admirable echelon in their field have very high standards.

  • to the upper echelons of the organization.

  • If this is what the upper echelons of society do to enjoy themselves, then the crisis is worse than I thought.

  • In bureaucratic systems, most of the power lies at the top echelons of the organization.

    Academic text (2001)
  • In many companies, the decisions are made by the upper echelon of executives who oversee all operations.

Synonyms

level
vsechelon
1.1

A particular stage in a system or idea

is the specific word for standing within an organization or profession
rank
vsechelon
304 3.2

A position in a group that shows someone's status or authority

is the general term for a position in organizations or society
tier
vsechelon
76 3.7

A position in a system that shows rank, like first or second

is used for positions within organizations, professions, or society generally
pay grade
vsechelon
  • US
15 3.7

A job level that sets how much pay an employee gets

is the general term for standing in an organization, not only salary bands
stratum
vsechelon
  • Specialized
2 7.8

A group of people with similar social position, income, and education

is about a single position rather than a whole class or group
social rank
vsechelon
1 3.8

A person's position in society based on wealth, family, or job

is broader, applying to positions in organizations and professions too

How High

leadership
429 3.4
senior
800 2.9
echelon
23 7.7
junior
99 2.4
low-level
25 3.3

Surface Forms

echelon singular
echelons plural

Etymology

Echelon comes from French échelon, meaning a 'rung' or 'step' of a ladder (from Latin scala 'ladder'). Think of an organisation as a ladder where each 'rung' is a level or rank, so being in a high echelon means being on a higher 'step' of power.