junior
adjective
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).
junior
American
[joon-yer]
/ ˈdʒun jər /
adjective
-
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.
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(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.
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of later date; subsequent to.
His appointment is junior to mine by six months.
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composed of younger members.
The junior division of the camp went on the hike.
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being smaller than the usual size.
The hotel has special weekend rates on junior suites.
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(of an iron or steel shape) relatively small, but rolled to a standard form.
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of, for, or designating clothing in sizes 3–15 or those who wear it.
a junior dress; junior measurements; the junior department.
noun
-
juniors
plural
-
a person who is younger than another.
-
a person who is newer or of lower rank in an office, class, profession, etc.; subordinate.
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a student who is in the next to the final year of a course of study.
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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.
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the department or section of a store where garments in these sizes are sold.
-
-
a garment in this size range.
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a woman or girl who wears garments in this size range.
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(initial capital letter) a member of the Girl Scouts from 9 through 11 years old.
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Informal. a boy; youth; son.
Ask junior to give you a hand with the packing.
junior
1
British
/ ˈdʒuːnjə /
adjective
-
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
noun
-
law (in England) any barrister below the rank of Queen's Counsel
-
a junior person
-
a junior schoolchild
-
a junior student
Junior
2
British
/ ˈdʒuːnjə /
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of junior
First recorded in 1520–30, junior is from the Latin word jūnior younger
Explanation
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.
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:
When Junior Dominguez enrolled as a high school freshman at Newbury Park two years ago, he joined the junior varsity football team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
At every turn, from his appearance in the Little League World Series to junior college to the minors, Tugboat was told his magic trick wouldn’t work at the next level.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Then came an ankle injury that sidelined him in 2024, followed by shoulder surgery as a junior that sidelined him in 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Being a junior associate allowed him to understand where the industry’s data lives, what practitioners actually care about and where inefficiencies exist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
My brother was going into his junior year.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
Junior Dominguez didn’t know how to put on shoulder pads or a helmet when he joined football team as freshman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
When Junior Dominguez enrolled as a high school freshman at Newbury Park two years ago, he joined the junior varsity football team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
They are determined to resist offers for three of their key players - Alex Scott, Rayan and Junior Kroupi.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 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
“Long as I can join the choir, count me in,” Junior says.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Fortunately, my English teacher, Thomas Dolan, suggested I join Stuyvesant’s SING!, in which freshmen and sophomores competed against juniors and seniors in original productions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
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
The rest of us are sophomores and juniors, and one lone senior...my nemesis: Jacob Rizer.
From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
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.
