Origin: Latin suffix -al
Hierarchical has 2 different meanings across 1 category:
classified according to various criteria into successive levels or layers
"it has been said that only a hierarchical society with a leisure class at the top can produce works of art"
"in her hierarchical set of values honesty comes first"
Pertaining to a hierarchy.
"The hierarchical structure of the organization ensures that every employee knows who reports to whom."
In plain English: Hierarchical means arranged so that some people are above others based on rank or importance.
"The company has a hierarchical structure where employees report to managers who then report to directors."
The word hierarchical comes from combining the root hierarchy with the suffix -ical. It entered English through French as an adjective describing something organized by rank or level.