senior
adjective
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).
senior
American
[seen-yer]
/ ˈsin jər /
adjective
-
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.
-
of earlier appointment or admission, as to an office, status, or rank.
a senior partner.
-
of higher or the highest rank or standing.
-
(in American schools, colleges, and universities) of or relating to students in their final year or to their class.
-
(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.
-
of, for, or pertaining to a senior citizen or senior citizens as a group.
senior discounts on local bus fares.
-
of earlier date; prior to.
His appointment is senior to mine by a year.
-
Finance. having a claim on payments, assets, dividends, or the like prior to other creditors, mortgages, stockholders, etc.
noun
-
seniors
plural
-
a person who is older than another.
-
a person of higher rank or standing than another, especially by virtue of longer service.
-
(in the U.S.) a student in the final year at a high school, preparatory school, college, or university.
-
a fellow holding senior rank in a college at an English university.
-
(initial capital letter) a member of the Girl Scouts from 14 through 17 years of age.
senior
1
British
/ ˈsiːnjə /
adjective
-
higher in rank or length of service
-
older in years
senior citizens
-
of or relating to adulthood, maturity, or old age
senior privileges
-
education
-
of, relating to, or designating more advanced or older pupils
-
of or relating to a secondary school
-
-
of, relating to, or designating students in the fourth and final year at college
noun
-
a senior person
-
an elderly person
-
-
a senior pupil, student, etc
-
a fellow of senior rank in an English university
-
Senior
2
British
/ ˈsiːnjə /
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of senior
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin, equivalent to sen ( ex ) old, old man + -ior comparative adj. suffix
Explanation
You can use the word senior to describe anyone who's older than you are. You might say, "My brother is six years my senior," especially if you want to make him feel old. Senior means "older," but it also means "old or aged," like your grandmother, who despite being a senior citizen, continues her skydiving hobby. A senior is also a student in the final year of either high school or college, or an authority: "She holds a senior position in the State Department." The Latin word senior means "older," and it's the basis of respectful terms in many languages, like señor in Spanish and sire in French.
Vocabulary lists containing senior
Ancient Wisdom: Synonyms for "Old"
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Graham's Top 50 Words, in terms of relevance
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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:
She describes the purpose of the visit as an "off-site meetings with Mr K R Murdoch and other senior executives from News Corp and News UK".
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
“We remain in an era of normalization, with population growth of just above zero expected through 2027, before settling back to a baseline of just under 1%,” said Bank of Montreal senior economist Robert Kavcic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote, noted Wednesday that the U.S. stands as the world’s top diesel exporter at present.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
“They’re really trying to come across as a differentiator against some of the AI agents in the market,” said Kara Lee, a senior analyst at market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
At the beginning of the second semester of my senior year, many of my classmates were excited about going to college.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
Morello Senior explains that Roman began playing guitar during the pandemic “and kind of got his 10,000 hours in early.”
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
Senior police officers have previously stressed the UK should not be a safe haven for alleged war criminals, and investigators have been trained in international war crimes legislation.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
“This measure recognizes the realities many older adults face, including mobility challenges, chronic health conditions, caregiving responsibilities, and limited access to medical appointments,” the California Senior Legislature wrote in support of the bill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
When I called her a few days ago, Davis told me she’s now a member of Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Those who excel in this position may be promoted to Senior Agents, Surveillance Agents, Special Agents, and more.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
She has mostly stuck to promoting her decades-long record on the campaign trail, which has recently focused on increased healthcare access for seniors, workforce development and Social Security benefit increases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Nearly one in four high-school seniors drinks these beverages daily, up from around one in six just four years ago, according to the University of Michigan study.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The loss of TPS caregivers has been especially damaging to seniors served by the Jewish organisation, as many of them are Holocaust survivors, says Katzenstein.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
“The reality is seniors are retiring and young people are struggling to get jobs. Those two groups don’t get unemployment aid,” said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
If Good Boys and True was judged worthy, the trip to Nebraska would occur after graduation, during “beach week,” when Truman’s seniors traditionally cram into houses in the tacky Jersey Shore town of Wildwood.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
