junior varsity
5
4.5
- noun
- /ˈdʒuːniər ˈvɑːrsɪti/
- US
:
equipo junior varsity
- The key to their junior varsity team winning district was sophomore running back Tim Mooney, a one-man scoring machine that had carried them to victory as a freshman.
- junior varsity players
And I was on the swim team in, in at the school and we swam against the Naval Academy junior varsity team.
- And I was on the swim team in, in at the school and we swam against the Naval Academy junior varsity team.
Examples
-
My husband and I recently traveled to Indiana to watch our grandson's final junior varsity football game of the season.
Blog text (16) -
Students who wish to participate in school sports are allowed to participate on a team at their "home" school and to compete at the varsity or junior varsity level in one or more of several sports offered in the school district.
Academic text (2004) -
Just put me on junior varsity.
-
His name was Brian, and he played junior varsity.
Fiction book (1997) -
Cell had already finished her own varsity race and was cheering on runners in the junior varsity event.
Blog text (26) -
If I didn't make varsity, I would be stuck on junior varsity with players a grade below.
Blog text (4) -
Logan Ellinger saw action in 15 games last season and was the junior varsity team's leading scorer most nights.
Blog text (4) -
(n58) Olivia, 14, was a new member of her high school junior varsity swim team.
Academic text (2004) -
I tried out for volleyball at the university and played junior varsity ball my freshman year, but being a nonscholarshipped athlete, I was cut my sophomore year.
Fiction book (1993) -
During my freshman year, I played on the junior varsity basketball team, where I developed my skills.
Synonyms
12
4.2
A school or college sports team for younger and less experienced players than the varsity team
1
8.5
A school sports team for younger or less experienced players than varsity
Antonyms
How Competitive
45
4.4
- US
5
4.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'junior' (younger or lower-ranking) with 'varsity' (the principal competitive team): learners who know both words can infer 'junior varsity' as the subordinate or lower-level team associated with the varsity. Although the term is regionally specific to North American school sports, the compositional logic (a junior/second team below the main team) is transparent and easily understood.
Etymology
Junior varsity comes from school sports: the varsity team is the 'main' team and a junior team is younger or at a lower level. So junior varsity means a school sports team that plays 'below' the main team and where younger players often 'move up' later.