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

Additionally, years of federal experience do not count toward any state benefits, such as vesting or seniority. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 31 Oct. 2025

The two companies both described the layoffs as permanent, noted the workers were not represented by a union, and stated that no affected employees have bumping rights over workers who have less seniority. —George Avalos, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025

According to Rob, flight schedules for pilots at his company, Republic Airways, are based on seniority. —Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025

Wilson said whoever returns to work when production resumes would likely be based on staff seniority. —Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 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