senior 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of seniornext
as in elderly
being of advanced years and especially past middle age bought special food intended for senior dogs

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senior

2 of 2

noun

ˈsē-nyər How to pronounce senior (audio)
1
as in ancestor
one who is older than another since the man next door is my senior by a number of years, I always address him as "Mr. Barton"

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2
as in superior
one who is above another in rank, station, or office the young attorney benefited from the mentorship of one of his seniors at the firm

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3
as in dean
the senior member of a group when he retires, she will be the senior on the faculty

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4
as in elder
a person of advanced years weekday movie matinees are often popular with seniors

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of senior
Adjective
She was joined by her colleague Craig Cartmell, the team’s senior associate director of marketing and promotions, who was dressed more predictably, in a Yankees polo shirt and jeans. — Bruce Handy, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026 Boards routinely commit millions of dollars to CEOs and other senior leaders through salary, equity, long-term incentive plans, retention packages, and other forms of executive compensation. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Noun
His goal is to find better ways to support high school seniors and vulnerable students in lower grades. — Kellye Lynn, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 Even so, the higher COLA likely won't offset all the higher prices seniors face, Johnson said. — Medora Lee, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for senior
Recent Examples of Synonyms for senior
  1. elderly
  2. ancestor
  3. superior
  4. dean
  5. elder
  6. old
  7. predecessor
  8. boss
Adjective
  • The office has already brought charges against four, including the mother of a 14-year-old boy accused of killing an elderly pedestrian while riding an e-motorcycle.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Now, the City of Oakland is suing the property owner, Mosser Living, alleging elderly and disabled tenants were left stranded in their homes and that the prolonged elevator outage was part of a much broader pattern of neglect.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of elderly
Noun
  • My three sons are 13th generation Americans whose ancestors fought as Patriots during the Revolutionary War.
    — David Neil, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Visitors strolled through the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens Saturday morning to kick off Obon Weekend, a traditional Japanese festival honoring the spirits of ancestors.
    — Mike Stocker, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of ancestor
Noun
  • Leo claimed that he was not allowed to call his own witnesses as part of an investigation, which ITN insiders dispute, even though all those interviewed were his superiors.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Hochman said Flores simply could have taken notes on the inappropriate comments and turned them in to superiors or the independent inspector general, which strikes me as either sweetly naive or disingenuous.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of superior
Noun
  • Davis had a close friendship with Sam Goren, the Pembroke Pines city attorney and dean of local government lawyers in Broward.
    — Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • According to Coin, James Spencer went on to become a commander in the Navy and a dean and provost at Cornell University.
    — Katie Howe, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of dean
Noun
  • After four days, Ayesha says her family secured her release with the help of community elders, paying a ransom, and providing a formal guarantee of her future conduct.
    — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2026
  • On Tuesday, the San Diego County district attorney’s office announced its decision to pursue capital punishment against Leticia McCormack, who was an ordained elder and youth minister at a San Diego church.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of elder
Adjective
  • So when the 36-year-old was pronounced dead in a South Carolina apartment on Sunday, shock and grief stretched around the world.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics saw its shares jump as much as 629% during its Wednesday market debut in Shanghai—an eye-popping rally that pushed 36-year-old chairman and CEO Wang Xingxing’s net worth to $16 billion.
    — Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of old
Noun
  • Xi made the comments at a landmark speech marking the centenary of the birth of one of his predecessors – Jiang Zemin, who was China’s leader from 1993 to 2002.
    — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Minter plays it safe For all the questions about how Minter’s first training camp has differed from John Harbaugh’s, the first-year head coach handled the first preseason game much like his predecessor — with extreme caution.
    — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of predecessor
Noun
  • Palace are going to set up in the same 3-4-2-1 system under new boss Pierre Sage that predecessor Oliver Glasner used, albeit the style of play will be different, with quicker passing and wide combinations.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • An omen of the future — The firing is an event worth paying attention to, says Andon Labs CEO Lukas Petersson, because if AI keeps getting better at its current rate, more of us might be managed by AI bosses in the near future.
    — Billy Perrigo, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of boss

Phrases Containing senior

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senility
senior
senior citizen
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Cite this Entry

“Senior.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/senior. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on senior

Nglish: Translation of senior for Spanish Speakers

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