seniority

noun

se·​nior·​i·​ty sēn-ˈyȯr-ə-tē How to pronounce seniority (audio)
-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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 Lee Jong-suk, Mun Ga-young, Kang You-seok, Ryu Hye-young and Im Seong-jae play the friends who share professional and personal challenges, and in real life, the cast also had no problem getting close, despite differences in age or professional seniority. Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025 Usually the pilot with the most seniority gets to choose their meal first. Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 16 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for seniority

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of seniority was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Seniority.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seniority. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

seniority

noun
se·​nior·​i·​ty sēn-ˈyȯr-ət-ē How to pronounce seniority (audio)
-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 How to pronounce seniority (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on seniority

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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