seniority
Americannoun
plural
seniorities-
the state of being senior; priority of birth; superior age.
-
priority, precedence, or status obtained as the result of a person's length of service, as in a profession, trade, company, or union.
First choice of vacation time will be given to employees with seniority.
noun
-
the state of being senior
-
precedence in rank, etc, due to senior status
Etymology
Origin of seniority
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin seniōritās, equivalent to Latin senior senior + -itās -ity
Explanation
Seniority refers to being ranked higher in an organization since you have been there longer. Who has seniority in a high school? The seniors of course! You know how older people are called senior citizens or seniors? That should help you remember what seniority is: the longer someone stays within an organization, the more they have of it. A new worker has hardly any seniority. Someone working at a job for 20 years has a lot of seniority. Having seniority is like having a higher rank or status.
Vocabulary lists containing seniority
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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The Titan's Curse
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Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Seniority and convenience isn't necessarily enough to secure a top spot in the freezer case, especially in the coming years.
From Salon • Aug. 29, 2023
Seniority affords pilots some schedule certainty, as it lets them choose and trade trips and plan vacations.
From Reuters • Jul. 20, 2023
Seniority, he said, is now measured in weeks and days, not years.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2022
Seniority reigns at the Supreme Court, Ginsburg answered, and Scalia got there first.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 18, 2020
Seniority on the father's side gives excess of male offspring.
From The Physical Life of Woman: Advice to the Maiden, Wife and Mother by Napheys, George H. (George Henry)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
