tiered

American  

[teerd] / tɪərd /

adjective

1. being or arranged in tiers or layers (usually used in combination).

   a two-tiered box of chocolates.

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Other Word Forms

• multitiered adjective
• untiered adjective

Etymology

Origin of tiered

First recorded in 1800–10; tier ¹ + -ed ³

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."

Example Sentences

Customers paid a tiered monthly fee to rent DVDs online which were delivered by mail.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

“I work with found objects that had another purpose before they came to my hands,” Saar says while seated at a patio table in her succulent-filled tiered garden.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

The company also is eligible for $8.5 billion in milestone payments and tiered royalties on sales of each product marketed by Lilly.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

For years, Southwest stuck with a one-size-fits-all approach that fell out of sync with competitors, who went deeper into tiered fares and charging for different services as a way to drum up more profits.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

When I regained my balance, I bounded down the tiered steps, pausing briefly to drop my anklet into a trash receptacle.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline