junior varsity

American  

noun

Sports.

junior varsities plural

1. a university, college, or school team that consists of players who lack the qualifications or skill necessary for the varsity and compete against other teams of similar composition or ability.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• junior varsities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of junior varsity

First recorded in 1945–50

Compare meaning

How does junior-varsity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• varsity vs. junior varsity

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

junior varsity

As a sophomore, he was on junior varsity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

Randall showed up as a 6-foot freshman and played junior varsity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

The priority is getting on scouts’ radar as quickly as possible—and a season or two on junior varsity is unacceptable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026

Eventually, Little would play in junior varsity football games as a punter, before jumping up to varsity level.

From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2026

My first year on the team, I only fenced in the junior varsity matches.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad