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junior

junior

48 3.4
A younger, less experienced person often called in a rude way
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒuː.njɚ/
  • Informal
: novato
  • The company has many juniors in its internship program, eager to learn from experienced professionals.
  • years his junior

Yeah, I got mistaken as the kind of junior whatever.

Examples

  • As a junior at the university, she was excited to take on more challenging courses.

  • And I was probably the most junior scholar selected for that.

  • So if you are a junior employee, you can start a green team.

  • So the one brief that we did get was from a junior intelligence officer.

  • Among the ADs, maybe one, often the most junior, is given special responsibility for costume.

    Academic text (2006)
  • So I've got a college student, a high school junior and a middle school student.

  • His name was Hans; he was a junior, and his father was a diplomat.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Stephen is a 16-year-old junior at Westley High School, home of the Wildcats.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The questionnaire was first piloted on 29 juniors in the engineering department.

    Academic text (2013)
  • A blended learning course preparing juniors and seniors with the rigorous research skills needed in college and careers.

    Academic text (2013)

Synonyms

rookie
vsjunior
  • Informal
315 3.7

A person new to a job or activity who has little experience

focuses on being younger or used as a mildly patronizing form of address

Antonyms

157 2.5

A person who is older and usually of retirement age

Compounds

147 2.0

A school for students around 12 to 14 years old before high school

61 1.8

A school for students aged about 12 to 15 after elementary school

38 3.2

A college that offers the first two years of study after high school

32 1.4

A school for children aged seven to eleven after infant school and before secondary school

8 4.5

A school or college sports team below the main team, often for younger players

6 2.1

The year before the final year in high school or college, usually the third of four years

3 4.1

Having lower rank or position in a workplace

2 6.5

An officer rank in the US Navy and Coast Guard above ensign and below lieutenant

junior middleweight
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A boxer in a weight class with a limit of 154 pounds or 70 kilograms

junior welterweight
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A boxer who fights in a weight class up to 140 pounds

junior lightweight
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A boxing weight class for fighters who weigh no more than 130 pounds

A condition when someone has a lower rank than others in a company or school

junior featherweight
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A boxing weight class for fighters who weigh up to 122 pounds

How Experienced

expert
∞ 3.2
senior
∞ 2.9
junior
  • Informal
48 3.4
trainee
50 2.4
novice
51 3.4

Surface Forms

junior singular
juniors plural

Etymology

Junior comes from the Latin juvenis meaning 'young', so calling someone 'junior' is like saying they are the 'younger' or less experienced person. That's why people sometimes use it in a mild, bossy way to show someone is not the older or more experienced one.