ranking
ranking Lexical Profile
ranking Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A position on a scale of achievement, quality, or status, or an official list showing the relative positions of competitors, institutions, or items.
"The university moved up three spots in the latest national academic rankings."
The action or process of assigning a relative position or grade to someone or something.
"The careful ranking of project priorities helped the team meet its deadline."
• adjective
Having a high position or the highest position in a hierarchy, organization, or group.
"As the ranking member of the committee, she was responsible for leading the inquiry."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as an adjective, 'ranking' is strictly attributive (placed directly before a noun, as in 'the ranking member') and means either 'having the highest rank' or 'having a high rank'.