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seniority

seniority

40 4.5
Higher rank or status because someone has worked longer in a job
  • noun
  • /sɪˈnɪərɪti/
translation icon : antigüedad
  • In many organizations, employees with greater seniority often mentor newer staff members.
  • job seniority
  • seniority and tenure
  • positions of seniority

And he said he was in front of her because of seniority.

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Examples

  • In light of your seniority. you will be given a retirement package.

  • Tenured teachers who use FMLA leave take relatively little risk with respect to either seniority or job advancement.

    Academic text (1994)
  • I appreciate someone with your seniority coming to help us.

  • So I explained that in the United States Supreme Court, seniority is very important.

  • I was first on the scene, and I have seniority.

  • It's one of the perks of my seniority.

  • The issue is deceptively simple: Suppose two employees have equal seniority and qualifications, having started work on the same day.

    Academic text (1997)
  • District policies or union regulations, however, often require selecting teachers based on seniority as the main criterion.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Women were eligible for seniority pensions after completing twenty-five years of contributions.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Many promotions within the company are determined by seniority, rewarding those who have dedicated the longest time to their roles.

Synonyms

rank
vsseniority
304 3.2

A position in a group that shows someone's status or authority

is narrower focusing on having more standing through longer time at work
higher rank
vsseniority
6 3.9

A position with more authority and status than others in a group

is the general state of holding greater standing because of length of service
senior status
vsseniority
  • Formal
1 4.9

A higher position that an organization gives to people with more years of work or experience

is the overall condition of having more authority due to longer service

Antonyms

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

How Senior

executive
533 4.5
seniority
40 4.5

Surface Forms

seniority singular
seniorities plural

Morphology

seniority = senior (transparent) = senior + ity

Formed by the adjective 'senior' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ity', yielding the state or quality of being senior.

Etymology

Seniority comes from the old Latin word senior, meaning 'older', which itself comes from senex, meaning 'old'. You can see the same root in senior and senator, so seniority means being older or having worked longer and therefore having higher rank or priority.