senior

American  

[seen-yer] / ˈsin yər /

adjective

1. older or elder (designating the older of two men bearing the same name, as a father whose son is named after him, often written as Sr. or sr. following the name).

   I'd like to speak with the senior Mr. Hansen, please.

   I'm privileged to introduce Mr. Edward Andrew Hansen, Sr.

2. of earlier appointment or admission, as to an office, status, or rank.

   a senior partner.

3. of higher or the highest rank or standing.

4. (in American schools, colleges, and universities) of or relating to students in their final year or to their class.

5. (in certain American colleges and universities) of or relating to the final two years of education, during which a student specializes in a certain field of study.

6. of, for, or pertaining to a senior citizen or senior citizens as a group.

   senior discounts on local bus fares.

7. of earlier date; prior to.

   His appointment is senior to mine by a year.

8. Finance. having a claim on payments, assets, dividends, or the like prior to other creditors, mortgages, stockholders, etc.

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noun

1. a person who is older than another.

2. a person of higher rank or standing than another, especially by virtue of longer service.

3. (in the U.S.) a student in the final year at a high school, preparatory school, college, or university.

4. a fellow holding senior rank in a college at an English university.

5. a senior citizen.

6. (initial capital letter) a member of the Girl Scouts from 14 through 17 years of age.

senior ¹ British  

/ ˈsiːnjə /

adjective

1. higher in rank or length of service

2. older in years

   senior citizens

3. of or relating to adulthood, maturity, or old age

   senior privileges

4. education

   1. of, relating to, or designating more advanced or older pupils

   2. of or relating to a secondary school

5. of, relating to, or designating students in the fourth and final year at college

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noun

1. a senior person

2. an elderly person

3. 1. a senior pupil, student, etc

   2. a fellow of senior rank in an English university

Senior ² British  

/ ˈsiːnjə /

adjective

1. Abbreviation: Sr.   Sen.  being the older: used to distinguish the father from the son with the same first name or names

   Charles Parker, Senior

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Etymology

Origin of senior

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin, equivalent to sen ( ex ) old, old man + -ior comparative adj. suffix

Example Sentences

Yet, that could be hard for people living in rural areas far from a post office, says Elena Patel, a senior fellow in the economic studies program at the Brookings Institution.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Influenza cases are rising, and there is a lot of influenza activity and ensuing disruption occurring,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Salon.

From Salon

Romero, 27, has since deleted that post and uploaded a new - almost identical statement - omitting the part about telling lies but still appearing to criticise senior figures at the club.

From BBC

Sergey Radchenko, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, recalled how before the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine senior Russian strategists frequently talked of using security presence in Venezuela as a pressure point against the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The labor market seems to have found feet on the jobs growth side, and that’s a positive to take away,” says David Tinsley, senior economist at Bank of America Institute.

From Barron's

Related Words

• elder
• pensioner
• senior citizen