1
2
: of or relating to juniors or the class of juniors at an educational institution
the junior prom
3
a
: lower in standing or rank
junior partners
b
: duplicating or suggesting on a smaller scale something typically large or powerful
a junior gale
1
a(1)
: a person who is younger than another
a man six years my junior
(2)
: a male child : son
(3)
: a young person
b
: a clothing size for women and girls with slight figures
2
a
: a student in the next-to-the-last year before graduating from an educational institution
b
: a person holding a lower position in a hierarchy of ranks
3
capitalized
: a member of a program of the Girl Scouts for girls in the third through sixth grades in school
Synonyms
Examples of junior in a Sentence
Adjective
She is a junior partner in the law firm.
junior advisers to the governor
Noun
They are my juniors in rank.
She's a junior at the state college.
Recent Examples on the Web
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Washington suffered a torn ACL his junior year of high school.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2024
Soon after Congress won that election, Gandhi took charge of the party’s junior wing.
—Samanth Subramanian Vikas Adam Tanya Pérez Zachary Mouton, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
As part of Vault-Tec’s grand plan, Hank was cryogenically frozen in Vault 31 alongside other junior executives and later thawed to oversee the breeding of those in Vaults 32 and 33 for a new society.
—Kayla Keegan, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
Boswell’s Camille Williams Boswell girls basketball made it to the regional finals, and junior Camille Williams played a monumental role in catapulting the Pioneers to success.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
The victims were seniors Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, and junior Xana Kernodle and freshman Ethan Chapin, both 20.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 18 Apr. 2024
Incoming junior analysts could be in danger of losing their jobs to AI, according to a recent New York Times report.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
In an effort to anticipate what a studio would green-light, writers incorporated feedback from producers and junior executives, constructing what became known as producer’s drafts.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 16 Apr. 2024
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2024
The big difference is Atilano is only a junior, who wanted to try the longer hurdles Saturday, while Martin is a senior.
—Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024
Scouts will get to watch four-star rising junior Matthew Johnson at edge rusher and three-star safety Robert Santiago.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
Vo was a junior in high school selling bath bombs at a soap shop in Downtown Disney when she was encouraged to audition for a lookalike role at Disneyland Resort.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
As a junior at Harvard, in 2001, Clark left to play hockey for the Washington Capitals.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The Pioneers also won the title in 2022 when Devine was a freshman, but the forward had a much bigger impact on the team’s success this season as a junior.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
Mikhail Cole is a junior in Garland's AP English Language class this year and worked on planting flowers near the fountain and Alumni Square on campus.
—Jade Thomas, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Apr. 2024
When a right-wing website called 1819 News exposed his deepest secrets, his life wasn’t the only thing that was destroyed:
When the story hit the next morning, Bubba’s son Carter, a junior at Auburn, was still asleep.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Flaherty was magnificent his junior year at Harvard-Westlake in 2013, winning 1-0 at Dodger Stadium in the Southern Section Division 1 final while going 13-0 with an 0.63 ERA.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Washington suffered a torn ACL his junior year of high school.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2024
Soon after Congress won that election, Gandhi took charge of the party’s junior wing.
—Samanth Subramanian Vikas Adam Tanya Pérez Zachary Mouton, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
As part of Vault-Tec’s grand plan, Hank was cryogenically frozen in Vault 31 alongside other junior executives and later thawed to oversee the breeding of those in Vaults 32 and 33 for a new society.
—Kayla Keegan, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
Boswell’s Camille Williams Boswell girls basketball made it to the regional finals, and junior Camille Williams played a monumental role in catapulting the Pioneers to success.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
The victims were seniors Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, and junior Xana Kernodle and freshman Ethan Chapin, both 20.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 18 Apr. 2024
Incoming junior analysts could be in danger of losing their jobs to AI, according to a recent New York Times report.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
In an effort to anticipate what a studio would green-light, writers incorporated feedback from producers and junior executives, constructing what became known as producer’s drafts.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
Lloyd was a junior on the Myers Park boys’ basketball team when Maye was a sophomore.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2024
The big difference is Atilano is only a junior, who wanted to try the longer hurdles Saturday, while Martin is a senior.
—Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024
Scouts will get to watch four-star rising junior Matthew Johnson at edge rusher and three-star safety Robert Santiago.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
Vo was a junior in high school selling bath bombs at a soap shop in Downtown Disney when she was encouraged to audition for a lookalike role at Disneyland Resort.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
As a junior at Harvard, in 2001, Clark left to play hockey for the Washington Capitals.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The Pioneers also won the title in 2022 when Devine was a freshman, but the forward had a much bigger impact on the team’s success this season as a junior.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
Mikhail Cole is a junior in Garland's AP English Language class this year and worked on planting flowers near the fountain and Alumni Square on campus.
—Jade Thomas, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Apr. 2024
When a right-wing website called 1819 News exposed his deepest secrets, his life wasn’t the only thing that was destroyed:
When the story hit the next morning, Bubba’s son Carter, a junior at Auburn, was still asleep.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'junior.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Junior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/junior. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
junior
1 of 2 adjective
ju·nior
ˈjün-yər 
1
a
: being the younger one
—used chiefly to distinguish a son with the same given name as his father
b
: designed for young teenagers
2
: lower in standing or rank
junior partner
3
: of or relating to juniors in a school
junior
2 of 2 noun1
: a person who is younger or of lower rank than another
2
: a student in the next-to-last year in a high school, college, or university
Legal Definition
junior
adjective
ju·nior
ˈjü-nyər
: of lower standing or rank
a junior lienholder
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