Meaning & use
senior
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Higher in rank, status, or age than someone else.
Grammar: Usually before a noun or after be: senior manager, she is senior to me.
Patterns
- senior to someone
- senior manager
- senior citizen
She is a senior manager at the bank.
He is senior to me by two years.
The discount is for senior customers.
nouncountableAmerican
A student in the final year of high school or college.
Grammar: American school use; plural seniors.
Patterns
- a high school senior
- college seniors
- the senior class
My sister is a senior this year.
Seniors are preparing for final exams.
The senior class raised money for the library.
nouncountable
An older person, especially one past retirement age.
Grammar: Often in senior citizen; alone can sound impersonal.
Patterns
- senior citizen
- seniors' center
The museum offers free entry to seniors on Tuesdays.
A new seniors' center opened near the park.
Seniors should check the fare discount rules.
Word forms
| plural | seniors |
|---|
Common combinations
- senior manager
- The senior manager approved the budget.
- senior to someone
- In this office, Ana is senior to Marco.
- senior citizen
- Senior citizens get a reduced bus fare.
- senior year
- He started applying to colleges during senior year.
- senior class
- The senior class painted a mural.
Synonyms and how they differ
- elder
- Older, especially within a family or traditional community; senior is broader for rank and school.
- superior
- Higher in rank, but it can sound like “better,” while senior mainly marks level or age.
- older
- Only compares age; it does not show rank or final-year school status.
Opposites
Word family
- seniority noun
- The fact of having a higher rank or having worked longer.
- senior citizen noun
- A polite phrase for an older adult, often retired.
Commonly confused: senior or junior? senior or seniority?
senior vs junior
Junior means lower in rank or younger; senior means higher or older.
senior vs seniority
Seniority is the noun for rank gained by age or length of service; senior is adjective or noun.
Practice
Which sentence uses “senior” correctly with the pattern senior to?
Choose one answer.
The correct preposition after senior in comparisons is to: senior to me. Than follows older, not senior, and from/as do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “senior”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.