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

Bumping rights occur when an employee with more seniority takes the job of an employee with less seniority during layoffs. —Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025

The crew always gets seniority on the last charter. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025

In terms of seniority, the 23-year-old Netherlands international is a last-minute upgrade, plus Brobbey was the Eredivisie player of the year in 2023-24, scoring 18 goals in 30 games. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025

But then the Career Service Board voted in early July to change Denver’s policies, allowing managers to include factors beyond seniority in their decisions. —Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2025

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