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• senior
  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
  Senior

  adjective

  being the older: used to distinguish the father from the son with the same first name or names

senior

American  

[seen-yer] / ˈsin jər /

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

• seniors
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• seniors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of senior

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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

senior Senior seniors

Mr. Rees is a senior fellow at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

His first taste of senior management was at Fulham, who he immediately guided back to the Premier League with a play-off final win over Brentford in 2020.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

But Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow James Lindsay told AFP that "the historic drubbing that Republicans took on election day happened for reasons that go well beyond Iran."

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

“This creates greater policy uncertainty for pharma in the months ahead, giving European governments more room to slow-play” those negotiations, according to Diederik Stadig, ING’s senior healthcare economist.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

Slightly above six feet two, Jefferson towered over both Madison and Hamilton, and at forty-seven he was sufficiently their senior to enjoy the kind of respect accorded an older brother.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Before polls closed Election Night, CBS News Senior White House reporter Weija Jiang posted on X that while the president’s advisors were concerned about potentially “razor thin” U.S.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

Given the "unusual circumstances reported" of Lucy's death, a Senior Investigating Officer had been tasked with looking into the case.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

Senior kicker Trevor Koko continued an impressive season with a looping ball that Mission Viejo wasn’t able to field, breathing life into a potential comeback.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

Companies like Manasum Senior Living, Primus Senior Living, Ananta Living and Vedaanta Senior Living are building projects especially for senior housing and care, even as there is growing interest from traditional real estate developers.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The Winter Ball came first, then later that night, the Senior Send-Off.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

One of those seniors is Olson, who is savoring every moment with the teammates who have become friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

Seventh- and eighth-graders might be able to participate in sports at the high-school level, while juniors and seniors take college courses at nearby UMass Lowell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Jackson eventually convinced his school administrators to let him lead a separate class on financial literacy and college preparedness, which he teaches today to high-school seniors.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

By the 1980s, the Clark had become a residence of last resort, housing many seniors and others on limited incomes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Then he introduces the tour guides—three girls and a guy, all UGA seniors.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

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Related Words

• elder
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