junior 1 of 2

adjective

ˈjün-yər How to pronounce junior (audio)
Definition of juniornext
as in smaller
having not so great importance or rank as another junior advisers to the governor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

junior

2 of 2

noun

as in subordinate
one who is of lower rank and typically under the authority of another she's his junior in the company

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of junior
Adjective
Argyle junior quarterback Hayes Hackney was ruled ineligible in a 6-0 vote at a District 3-5A Division II Executive Committee meeting Tuesday, a DEC committee member confirmed to the Star-Telegram. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026 On the blindside of the offensive line, junior Jensen Somerville and fifth-year Mack Indestad split time replacing Davis with 45 and 32 snaps, respectively. — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
The color honors Durkin’s son Michael, a junior at Chesterton High School who died by suicide in late September. — Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 17 Oct. 2026 My mom enrolled as a junior at Hollywood High School and took care of the house—cleaning, reheating frozen chicken pot pies, and making sure everyone did their homework. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for junior
Recent Examples of Synonyms for junior
  1. less
  2. subordinate
  3. lesser
  4. minion
  5. lower
  6. assistant
  7. small
Adjective
  • The Dells’ money will go to children in ZIP codes with median incomes of $150,000 or less, giving millions of families a chance to start building wealth early.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Agility Robotics’ next humanoid robot is designed to spend more of the day moving goods and less time plugged into a charger.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of less
Noun
  • And in the end — like Dick Ebersol — Harry Shearer is only willing to accept a subordinate’s vision if it’s executed to his exact specifications.
    — Blake J. Harris, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Keeping track of scheming or incompetent subordinates has always been the autocrat’s chief burden.
    — Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of subordinate
Adjective
  • Even lesser-scale incidents like the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal and the Volkswagen emissions scandal erode trust in the institutions that help make our society possible and push it forward.
    — Lindsey Witmer Collins, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Toronto’s Fred VanVleet appears to be the top target, but Miami’s Kyle Lowry, Utah’s Mike Conley and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier have been linked to the team at various points.
    — Staff Writer Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2023
Definition of lesser
Noun
  • There are references to demons, being burned alive, and the duende king explicitly commands his minions to kill Jo and Raissa.
    — Parents, Parents, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Musashi becomes part of a crew that fights the Genma and Yoshitsune’s minions.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of minion
Adjective
  • Despite those lower court rulings, the practice has continued nationally, said Gregory Chen, the senior director of government relations for the Immigration Lawyers Association.
    — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 3 Sep. 2025
  • And ultimately, the Supreme Court overruled those lower court rulings and did declare the embryos as children qualifying under the wrongful death statute.
    — Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024
Definition of lower
Noun
  • In 2019 he was appointed deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The legal questions are also different from those raised by earlier smart speakers and voice assistants.
    — MacKenzie Sigalos,Annie Palmer, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of assistant
Adjective
  • Comparing households aged 72 and older in 2022 with those aged 75 and older in 2025, Maggiulli calculated a smaller—but still substantial—21% increase.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The development could help make optical atomic clocks smaller and more suitable for use outside laboratories.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of small

Browse Nearby Words

jungles
junior
junior high school
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Junior.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/junior. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vocation

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All