status

American  

[stey-tuhs, stat-uhs] / ˈsteɪ təs, ˈstæt əs /

noun

1. the position of an individual in relation to another or others, especially in regard to social or professional standing.

   Women in India have a lower status than men and therefore less control over money.

2. high social or professional standing; prestige.

   The Wilsons have status in the community because of their charitable work.

3. state or condition of affairs.

   Arbitration has failed to change the status of the disagreement.

4. Law. the standing of a person before the law.

   Those students can receive the same tax breaks as citizens, regardless of their status as immigrants.

5. Digital Technology. a short post on a social networking website or messaging application that gives information about the user’s present situation, activities, thoughts, etc..

   I changed my Facebook status from married to single.

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adjective

1. conferring or believed to confer elevated status.

   a status car; a status job.

status British  

/ ˈsteɪtəs /

noun

1. a social or professional position, condition, or standing to which varying degrees of responsibility, privilege, and esteem are attached

2. the relative position or standing of a person or thing

3. a high position or standing; prestige

   he has acquired a new status since he has been in that job

4. the legal standing or condition of a person

5. a state of affairs

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status Cultural  

1. The relative position of an individual within a group, or of a group within a society.

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Usage

Plural word for status The plural form of status is statuses (not stati). Even though status is derived from Latin, it isn’t pluralized by replacing the -us ending with -i, as is done in many other Latin-derived words ending in -us, such as cactus/cacti and fungus/fungi. Most words ending in -s, -ss, -ch, -sh, -x, and -o follow the conventional pluralization pattern of simply adding -es. However, several other words that end in -us are pluralized in the same way as status, including surplus/surpluses and census/censuses. Do you know: What is the plural of radius?

Related Words

See state.

Discover More

Though the term can refer to either high or low standing, it is often used only to imply a position of prestige.

Other Word Forms

• nonstatus adjective

Etymology

Origin of status

First recorded in 1665–75; from Latin: “the condition of standing, stature, status,” equivalent to sta- (variant stem of stāre “to stand”) + -tus suffix of verbal action; stand

Explanation

If someone wants to know the status of something, they want to know what condition it's in, where it is, or how much progress it's made. You've probably checked the status of your flight to see if it's on time or delayed. Status doesn't only apply to the state of flights, projects, and traffic jams — it also can be used to refer to a person's social standing or rank. In fact, status was first used in reference to someone's height, and later, their legal standing. Someone with VIP status gets to fly first class and probably has a bunch of photographers following them.

Example Sentences

“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor,” he said in a statement, overstating somewhat his status in the neck-and-neck gubernatorial race.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Meanwhile, one of the Lake De Cade camp owners has sued Sleca, seeking class-action status for damages from the loss of electricity, including cratered resale values.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

That could mean that gold prices will start to climb again, especially if it regains its status as a haven investment in what are still uncertain times.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Experiences like this have encouraged Nabongo to shop around more, she says, despite her elite status with Delta.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

The dignified French museum was about to be reduced to the status of a laughingstock.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

• condition
• dignity
• place
• position
• prestige
• prominence
• quality
• rating
• situation
• stature