seniority

noun

se·​nior·​i·​ty sēn-ˈyȯr-ə-tē 

-ˈyär-

1

: the quality or state of being senior : priority

2

: a privileged status attained by length of continuous service (as in a company)

Examples of seniority in a Sentence

Promotions are based on merit and seniority.

a teacher with less seniority

He has worked here longer than I have, so he has seniority over me.

Recent Examples on the Web

Today, Netflix defines success by performance, not seniority, tenure, or loyalty. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026

The higher Khalil got on the rungs of congressional seniority, the more circumspect the lawmakers sounded. — Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

With the promoter model, influence is spread across three people—technology, process, and power promoters—who may be in different departments, at different levels of seniority, and who might never share a reporting line. — IEEE Spectrum, 17 Aug. 2026

There is a procedure for those laid off based on seniority and their category of employment. — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for seniority

• authority
• majority
• minority
• priority
• sonority
• sorority
• exteriority
• inferiority
• superiority

Kids Definition

seniority

noun

se·​nior·​i·​ty sēn-ˈyȯr-ət-ē 

-ˈyär-

1

: the quality or state of being senior

2

: a privileged position arrived at by length of service

Legal Definition

seniority

noun

se·​nior·​i·​ty sēn-ˈyȯr-ə-tē 

1

: the quality or state of being senior

2

: the senior status attained by length of continuous service (as in a company)

also : the length of such continuous service