tiered
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tiered
Explanation
Something that is arranged in a series of levels or layers is tiered. Towering wedding cakes are often tiered, with the smallest layer at the very top. Stadium or theater seating is tiered — each row of seats is placed slightly above the row in front of it, so that people sitting in the back can see over the heads of the audience members in front. Skirts and dresses sometimes have tiered ruffles, each layer a bit higher than the one beneath it. The adjective tiered comes from tier, or "row," from the Old French tire, "rank or sequence."
Vocabulary lists containing tiered
100 Sideways Miles
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"Novio Boy: Scene 7, Part 1" and "Oranges"
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It's Kind of a Funny Story
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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 first is a tiered approach on minors accessing social media.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
The new law "sets an EU-wide minimum age for minors to open an autonomous account at the age of 15," the draft says, with a tiered system applying to younger children.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
The duties are tiered, with a 100% tariff on larger drones with militarily-sensitive abilities and a 25% levy on smaller drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Thanks to the tiered bleacher-style seating, almost every seat in the house offers a great vantage point.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Her knees shook as they climbed the tiered staircase, the carved dragons frozen on their ramps of marble slabs.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
