Meanings
plural pecking orders
- biologyThe natural ranking of social status and dominance occurring in a group of birds.
- broadlyfigurativelyThe usually informal hierarchy of authority, command, or social status, as determined by the especially natural propensity for domination of different members of a specific group over each other, such as older brothers and sisters over their younger siblings.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe usually informal hierarchy of authority, command, or social status, as determined by the especially natural propensity for domination of different members of a specific group over each other, such as older brothers and sisters over their younger siblings.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe organization of people at different ranks in an administrative body
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- GermanHackordnung
- Englishpecking order
Calque of German Hackordnung.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish hakkeorden
- hakkeordenusually informal hierarchy of authority or command
Dutch pikorde
- pikordeusually informal hierarchy of authority or command
Finnish nokkimisjärjestys
- nokkimisjärjestysusually informal hierarchy of authority or command
German Hackordnung, Hackabstand
- Hackordnungusually informal hierarchy of authority or command
- Hackabstandusually informal hierarchy of authority or command
Icelandic goggunarröð
- goggunarröðusually informal hierarchy of authority or command
Polish porządek dziobania
- porządek dziobaniausually informal hierarchy of authority or command
Russian неофициа́льная иера́рхия, сложи́вшийся поря́док подчине́ния
- неофициа́льная иера́рхия (neoficiálʹnaja ijerárxija)usually informal hierarchy of authority or command
- сложи́вшийся поря́док подчине́ния (složívšijsja porjádok podčinénija)usually informal hierarchy of authority or command
- поря́док клева́ния (porjádok klevánija)usually informal hierarchy of authority or command
Swedish hackordning
- hackordningusually informal hierarchy of authority or command
Cite this entry
pecking order. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pecking%20order
“pecking order.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pecking%20order. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pecking order,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pecking%20order.
Source: pecking order on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.