younger (designating the younger of two men bearing the same full name, as a son named after his father; often written as Jr. or jr. following the name).
May I speak with the junior Mr. Hansen?
Mr. Edward Andrew Hansen, Jr.
of more recent appointment or admission, as to an office or status; of lower rank or standing.
a junior partner.
(in American universities, colleges, and schools) noting or pertaining to the class or year next below that of the senior.
Finance. subordinate to preferred creditors, mortgagees, and the like.
of later date; subsequent to.
His appointment is junior to mine by six months.
composed of younger members.
The junior division of the camp went on the hike.
being smaller than the usual size.
The hotel has special weekend rates on junior suites.
(of an iron or steel shape) relatively small, but rolled to a standard form.
of, for, or designating clothing in sizes 3–15 or those who wear it.
a junior dress; junior measurements; the junior department.
a person who is younger than another.
a person who is newer or of lower rank in an office, class, profession, etc.; subordinate.
a student who is in the next to the final year of a course of study.
Often juniors.
a range of odd-numbered sizes, chiefly from 3 to 15, for garments that fit women and girls with shorter waists, narrower shoulders, and smaller bustlines than those of average build.
the department or section of a store where garments in these sizes are sold.
a garment in this size range.
a woman or girl who wears garments in this size range.
(initial capital letter) a member of the Girl Scouts from 9 through 11 years old.
Informal. a boy; youth; son.
Ask junior to give you a hand with the packing.
lower in rank or length of service; subordinate
younger in years
junior citizens
of or relating to youth or childhood
junior pastimes
of or relating to schoolchildren between the ages of 7 and 11 approximately
of, relating to, or designating the third year of a four-year course at college or high school
law (in England) any barrister below the rank of Queen's Counsel
a junior person
a junior schoolchild
a junior student
First recorded in 1520–30, junior is from the Latin word jūnior younger
Use the word junior to describe things that are intended for young people, like the junior chess tournament for elementary school kids or the junior department in a clothing store, with kid-sized sweaters and jeans. Junior is used to mean "younger," so you might describe your cousin as being six years your junior. It also means "lower in rank," so new representatives in Congress are often called "junior members," and workers are described as junior to others higher in the company hierarchy. As a noun, a junior is in the third year of high school or college, and if you share your dad's name, he is Julio Smith and you are Julio Smith, Junior.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And Mercedes have a team of up to 10 people analysing the junior categories, right down to the very junior levels of karting to find promising new talent.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
As the junior senator from California, a progressive state, Harris was vocal in her support for Medicare for All.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Professional-services firms have historically relied on a pyramid-based model, where scores of junior employees funnel their work up to more senior partners who have been promoted based on tenure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Shadow — Jackie’s junior by two years — was spotted Wednesday with a subadult eagle on a favorite perch tree.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Ever since I began junior high in Tovime, getting to school before the bell rang was a tricky business, especially in farming season.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
The three people who died on Sunday at the annual Bite of Seattle food festival were Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19, Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, and Ashley Whitehead, 56.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Born in San Jose, Calif., before moving to Chapel Hill, N.C as a teen, he was tabbed as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2023 by the American Junior Golf Association.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
As he spoke with the media, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays walked by.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
In Seattle, “we have inventory that’s either overpriced or properties that are going on the market not well-prepared,” Junior Torres, a local real-estate agent with Windermere Real Estate, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Junior Championship three months earlier, and the Rosenwald was the first important invitational and adult all-masters tournament of his career.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Not everyone thinks squeezing out juniors is wise.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
But he believes juniors and seniors in advanced classes should be allowed to use AI “because when you become an upperclassman, companies want to see you actually use these tools,” Anand said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
A world number one in juniors, Andreeva has long been tipped for Grand Slam success.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
Mercedes would focus on its pair of homegrown drivers, Russell and Antonelli, who had both joined the team as juniors in the late 2010s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
Alex went to the section reserved for juniors.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
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.
