Meanings
senior1
comparative more senior · superlative most senior · alternative obsolete seniour
- USOf or pertaining to a student's final academic year at a high school (twelfth grade) or university.
- CanadaUShobbiesOf or pertaining to a league or competition limited to players above a certain age or level of experience.
senior hockey
- card gamesSynonym of elder.
It is unusual for the senior hand to leave even one of the five cards to which he is entitled. It indicated an unusually strong hand.
1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLCSynonyms: elder
plural seniors · alternative obsolete seniour
- USAn old person.
Grave and reverend seniors seemed to have caught the prevailing spirit as badly as the students, and I saw white-bearded men rising and shaking their fists at the obdurate Professor.
1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, “‘Question!’”, in The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC, page 77Synonyms: senior citizen, ager, antique, badge-cove, cheeser, coffin dodger, crinkly, eld
- Someone older than someone else (with possessive).First known use 15th c.
He was four years her senior.
- obsoletebiblicalAn elder or presbyter in the early Church.First known use 14th–16th c.
Then Peter full of the holy gooſt ſayd vnto them. Ye ruelars of the people / and ſeniours of iſrahel[…].
1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts :[8], folio clviij, recto - Somebody who is higher in rank, dignity, or office.
Synonyms: elder
- PhilippinesUSA final-year student at a high school or university; a finalist.First known use 17th c.
Senior2
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOlder.
adjectiveHigher in rank, dignity, or office; superior.
adjectiveSynonym of elder.
nounAn old person.
nounSomebody who is higher in rank, dignity, or office.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveolder; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
adjectiveused of the fourth and final year in United States high school or college
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinsenior“older”
- Middle Englishsenior
- Englishsenior
From Middle English senior, from Latin senior (“older”), comparative form of senex (“old”); see senate. Doublet of seigneur, seignior, senhor, señor, senyor, signore, sir, and sire.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian ста́рши, ста́рши
- ста́рши (stárši)older
- ста́рши (stárši)higher in rank
Chinese Mandarin 前輩 /前辈, 先輩 /先辈
- 前輩 /前辈 (qiánbèi)someone older than someone else
- 先輩 /先辈 (xiānbèi)someone older than someone else
Czech starší
- staršíolder
Dutch senior, ouderejaars
- seniorsomeone older than someone else
- ouderejaarssomeone older than someone else
Estonian vanem
- vanemolder
Finnish vanhempi, vanhempi
- vanhempiolder
- vanhempihigher in rank
- vanhempisomeone older than someone else
French aîné, supérieur
- aînéolder
- supérieursomeone older than someone else
- anciensomeone seen as deserving respect or reverence because of their age
German älter
- älterolder
Greek μεγαλύτερος, ανώτερος
- μεγαλύτερος (megalýteros)older
- ανώτερος (anóteros)higher in rank
- προϊστάμενος (proïstámenos)higher in rank
Hindi वरिष्ठ, वरिष्ठ
- वरिष्ठ (variṣṭh)older
- वरिष्ठ (variṣṭh)higher in rank
- वरिष्ठ (variṣṭh)someone older than someone else
Italian anziano, anziana
- anzianoolder
- anzianaolder
Japanese 年上の, 先輩
- 年上の (toshiue no)older
- 先輩 (senpai)someone older than someone else
- 年上 (toshiue)someone older than someone else
Korean 더 늙은, 늙은
- 더 늙은 (deo neulgeun)older
- 늙은 (neulgeun)older
- 선배 (seonbae)someone older than someone else
Latin senior
- seniorolder
Māori pāhake
- pāhakeolder
Polish starszy, starszy
- starszyolder
- starszysomeone older than someone else
Portuguese sénior, sénior
- séniorolder
- séniorhigher in rank
- séniorsomeone older than someone else
- sêniorsomeone older than someone else
Russian ста́рший, ста́рший
- ста́рший (stáršij)older
- ста́рший (stáršij)higher in rank
- ста́рший (stáršij)someone older than someone else
- старшекла́ссник (staršeklássnik)someone older than someone else
- старшеку́рсник (staršekúrsnik)someone older than someone else
Slovak starší
- staršíolder
Spanish anciano, sénior
- ancianoolder
- séniorolder
- seniorolder
- alto cargohigher in rank
- experimentadohigher in rank
- séniorhigher in rank
- seniorhigher in rank
- señorsomeone older than someone else
- séniorsomeone older than someone else
- seniorsomeone older than someone else
- ancianosomeone seen as deserving respect or reverence because of their age
Swedish senior
- seniorolder
Tagalog kuya, ate
- kuyasomeone older than someone else
- atesomeone older than someone else
- higtaunansomeone older than someone else
Thai รุ่นพี่
- รุ่นพี่ (rûn-pîi)someone older than someone else
Turkish yaşça büyük, kıdemli
- yaşça büyükolder
- kıdemlihigher in rank
Ukrainian ста́рший, старі́ший
- ста́рший (stáršyj)older
- старі́ший (staríšyj)older
Vietnamese tiền bối, đàn anh
- tiền bốisomeone older than someone else
- đàn anhsomeone older than someone else
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
senior. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/senior
“senior.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/senior. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “senior,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/senior.
Source: senior on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.