dominance hierarchy

American  

noun

Animal Behavior.

1. a system or set of relationships in animal groups that is based on a hierarchical ranking, usually established and maintained by behavior in aggressive encounters: one or a few members hold the highest rank and the others are submissive to those ranking higher and dominant to those ranking lower.

---

Etymology

Origin of dominance hierarchy

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Changes in the dominance hierarchy can fuel more aggression and tension, said Aaron Sandel, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin and study co-author.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

And male mice that are housed together establish a dominance hierarchy, with alpha males expressing more than 10 times as much testosterone as the submissive ones.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2023

In these cases, a dominance hierarchy arises, Mech adds, but it’s the animal equivalent of what might happen in a human prison, not the way wolves behave when they are left to their own devices.

From Scientific American • Feb. 28, 2023

That dominance hierarchy scheme only applies to the male turkeys, though.

From Salon • Nov. 25, 2022

That social structure is ideal for domestication, because humans in effect take over the dominance hierarchy.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond