tenured

American

[ten-yerd] / ˈtɛn jərd /

adjective

of, having, or eligible for tenure, especially in a college or university.

There are three tenured professors in the history department.
granting, allowing, or leading to tenure.

None of the advertised jobs is a tenured position.

tenured British

/ ˈtɛnjʊəd, ˈtɛnjəd /

adjective

1. having tenure of office
  
  a tenured professor
2. guaranteeing tenure of office
  
  a tenured post

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tenured

First recorded in 1960–65; tenure + -ed ³

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.

See Examples For:

tenured

Berlant’s a tenured professor at the Make-‘Em-Laugh Institute, and “Parmesan” proves her research-driven thesis statement time and again: There’s no bad mood a good clown can’t improve.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

The letter said the lender, which had worked with Cook in the past, knew that she worked full time as a tenured professor at Michigan State University.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

When the season kicks off Friday, he will somehow be the longest tenured manager in the league—by nearly three full years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

The lawsuit comes a week after an arbitrator ordered the university to reinstate the tenured professor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

Until he was fired—mysteriously deemed unqualified for the tenured professorship he’d had for over a decade.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023