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

In Otis, seniority usually determines the lucky employees who get to shepherd the helium to the parade, a haul of more than 24 hours. —Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 24 Nov. 2025

Sufficient seniority One of the biggest differences between a Formula One driver and an Excel World Champion, outside of the relative risks involved in both professions (though many will attest that a debt model can get quite dangerous), is that the latter still has a day job. —Shikhar Sachdev, HubSpot, 21 Nov. 2025

The authority of these political figures derived from seniority and from their direct contributions to the communist revolution. —Deng Yuwen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025

All of the workers have bumping rights, Safeway noted, meaning displaced workers who have seniority could bump other workers with less seniority. —George Avalos, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 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