seniority
Americannoun
-
seniorities
plural
-
the state of being senior; priority of birth; superior age.
-
priority, precedence, or status obtained as the result of a person's length of service, as in a profession, trade, company, or union.
First choice of vacation time will be given to employees with seniority.
noun
-
the state of being senior
-
precedence in rank, etc, due to senior status
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of seniority
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin seniōritās, equivalent to Latin senior senior + -itās -ity
Explanation
Seniority refers to being ranked higher in an organization since you have been there longer. Who has seniority in a high school? The seniors of course! You know how older people are called senior citizens or seniors? That should help you remember what seniority is: the longer someone stays within an organization, the more they have of it. A new worker has hardly any seniority. Someone working at a job for 20 years has a lot of seniority. Having seniority is like having a higher rank or status.
Vocabulary lists containing seniority
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Titan's Curse
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Changes in compensation models mean that partners for the most part are no longer paid in line with seniority, allowing firms to raid each other for rainmakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026
The sepsis protocol was triggered on Selina's initial arrival at hospital, however a coroner previously said a doctor of appropriate seniority was not available until two-and-a-half hours later.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
“To be effective in the Senate, you need knowledge, experience, seniority and relationships,” she said Tuesday in her first debate against Jackson, the former Maine Senate president.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Like many of his fellow airline pilots, Barath spent much of his career bound by a rigid seniority structure that came with similarly rigid compensation and retirement benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Staggering out of Ernest’s office, Livingston ran into Jim Brady, whose seniority at the lab matched his own.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
