senior

1 of 2

noun

se·​nior ˈsē-nyər How to pronounce senior (audio)
1
: a person older than another
five years my senior
2
a
: a person with higher standing or rank
b
: a senior fellow of a college at an English university
c
: a student in the year preceding graduation from a school of secondary or higher level
3
capitalized : a member of a program of the Girl Scouts for girls in the 9th through 12th grades in school
4

senior

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of prior birth, establishment, or enrollment
often used to distinguish a father with the same given name as his son
2
: higher ranking : superior
senior officers
3
: of, relating to, or intended for seniors
a senior center
4
: having a claim on corporate assets and income prior to other securities

Examples of senior in a Sentence

Noun As his senior, she commanded quite a bit of respect. She was his senior in rank. high school juniors and seniors Adjective the senior vice president of marketing She is a senior aide to the president. a senior editor for the magazine He recently became a senior partner in the accounting firm. the men's senior baseball league
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
An upright, or stand-up, walker can be safe for seniors, with some caution. Sarah Bradley, Verywell Health, 12 Mar. 2024 Azusa Pacific’s uneven regular season performance — the Cougars lost seven straight at one point early and three straight during conference play — was all but forgotten as coach Peter Bond and seniors George Reidy and Ken West celebrated with the conference championship trophy after the game. Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 The tickets are available for the first 1,000 Arizona high school seniors who apply. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Instead of paying $400 a month for insulin seniors with diabetes only have to pay $35 a month! USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 Jay Patel, a 21-year-old senior at the University of North Carolina, traveled with a half-dozen friends to enjoy spring break in Miami Beach. Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 Medicare Advantage, a private version of the federal health program for seniors, has driven growth and profits across the health insurance industry for years. John Tozzi Bloomberg News (tns), arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2024 As Ponderosa learned when the 6-foot-10 senior swatted five shots in a 57-41 Great 8 loss to the Bison, either come to the key with a plan or Polk will send your shot into the fifth row. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Parker, Nick and Kevin are seniors but have already had their senior day: Kevin had his last year at our place (giving a speech after season-ending home win over Texas Tech). Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2024
Adjective
McEntire, a fifth-year senior right-hander from Bryant, threw the final 3 2/3 innings of the No. 5 Razorbacks' 5-3 victory at Baum-Walker Stadium and had 37 strikes on 43 pitches. Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 4 Mar. 2024 Josh Reich has been promoted to senior VP of Top 40 promotion for Warner Records. Thania Garcia, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 Chris Mortensen, the award-winning journalist who covered the NFL for close to four decades, including 32 as a senior analyst at ESPN, died Sunday morning. CBS News, 4 Mar. 2024 The developer already manages six senior living spaces across the Metroplex. Hopes and needs Fort Worth’s surging growth is feeding an insatiable appetite for homes. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 The 21-year-old Winston-Salem State University senior and NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program graduate also earned pole position (best starting position on the race track) for the first time in his career during the qualifying session ahead of the race. Melissa Noel, Essence, 4 Mar. 2024 Take Our Word For It is a senior commerce editor at PEOPLE who writes and edits everything from the best work shoes to the best places to buy dresses. Erika Reals, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 Why Trust Travel + Leisure is a senior commerce editor at PEOPLE and lives in Hawaii. Erin Johnson, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2024 As senior point guard Donovan Cornelius goes, so goes LACES, the No. 8 seed competing in its first ever Open Division final. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'senior.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Latin, from senior, adjective

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin, older, elder, comparative of sen-, senex old; akin to Goth sineigs old, Greek henos

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of senior was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near senior

Cite this Entry

“Senior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/senior. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

senior

1 of 2 noun
se·​nior ˈsē-nyər How to pronounce senior (audio)
1
: a person who is older than another
five years my senior
2
a
: a person with higher standing or rank
b
: a student in the final year of high school or college

senior

2 of 2 adjective
1
: being older
used to distinguish a father from a son with the same name
John Doe, Senior
2
: higher ranking
senior officers
the senior partner of the law firm
3
: of or relating to seniors in an educational institution
the senior class
Etymology

Noun

Middle English senior "a person older than another specific person," from Latin senior (same meaning), from senior (adjective) "older, elder," from sen-, senex "old" — related to senate, senile, senor, sir

Legal Definition

senior

adjective
se·​nior
ˈsē-nyər
: having higher rank or priority
a senior lienholder
specifically : having a claim on corporate assets and income prior to other securities

More from Merriam-Webster on senior

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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