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.
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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.
-
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.
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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.
-
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:
The default brought an early end to an excellent contest, with 39-year-old Djokovic having played superbly to outlast an opponent nine years his junior.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Saturday's schedule saw the return of events for junior runners and toddlers, after fears over Storm Amy last year forced them to be cancelled.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Two plays from junior free safety Jake Martin proved his coach right.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Kimora Dean, who is autistic and has ADHD, had been thriving as a junior at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Md., playing jazz piano and getting good grades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
"There's got to be a site for junior detectives," Nancy said.
From "Sleepover Sleuths: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #1" by Carolyn Keene
Nike's books still boast top athletes, ranging from Rory McIlory to Vinicius Junior.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konate rolled up their pre-game T-shirts ahead of Real Madrid's match at Elche on Tuesday to obscure the message of support for the people of Ceuta.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
He’s an incredible story, a former phenom from the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., where his father, Frances Sr., worked in maintenance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Junior quarterback Preston Beck of San Clemente has begun the 2026 season throwing pinpoint passes to help the Tritons start 3-0.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
“Cool, but not impressive,” I say to Junior.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
For the men's 100m final those same seats cost £110, again with no concessions for juniors.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
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
The Garden have certainly earned respect from their peers, elders and juniors since forming in 2011.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Not everyone thinks squeezing out juniors is wise.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Upper-classmen treated their juniors with haughtiness and disdain.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
