seniority

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˌsinˈjɔrəti/ UK /ˌsiːniˈɒrəti/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the state of being older or higher in rank or length of service

Promotions at the firm were awarded strictly by seniority.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the state of being older or... precedence rank standing tenure priority superiority

Opposites

junioritysubordination

Word family

Related forms senior senate senile

Etymology

From Medieval Latin 'senioritas', from Latin 'senior' ('older'), comparative of 'senex' ('old'), from Proto-Indo-European *sen- ('old').

senior Middle English senex Latin *sen- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# seniority

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌsinˈjɔrəti/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌsiːniˈɒrəti/

## Meanings
1. the state of being older or higher in rank or length of service

## Examples
- Promotions at the firm were awarded strictly by seniority.

## Synonyms
- precedence
- rank
- standing
- tenure
- priority
- superiority

## Antonyms
- juniority
- subordination

## Related Forms
- senior
- senate
- senile

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: senior
- Root: senex
- Root: *sen-

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin 'senioritas', from Latin 'senior' ('older'), comparative of 'senex' ('old'), from Proto-Indo-European *sen- ('old').

## AI Etymology
Seniority comes from Medieval Latin 'senioritas', from Latin 'senior' ('older'), comparative of 'senex' ('old'), from Proto-Indo-European *sen- ('old'). The historical chain includes Latin senior, Latin senex, and Proto-Indo-European *sen-. Older glosses in the chain include "senioritas", "senior", "older", and "senex", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, seniority is best read as borrowing, yielding an English noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun, with the sense "the state of being older or higher in rank or length of service". related forms include senior, senate, and senile. The result is an English noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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