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lieutenant junior grade

lieutenant junior grade

1 6.5
An officer rank in the US Navy and Coast Guard above ensign and below lieutenant
  • noun
  • /luːˈtɛnənt ˈdʒuːn.jər ɡreɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : teniente JG
  • He had just been promoted to lieutenant junior grade and was excited to take on more responsibilities.

Examples

  • The lieutenant junior grade received commendations for her leadership during the naval exercise.

  • Why does a lieutenant junior grade with ninth months' experience... and a track record for plea bargaining get assigned a murder case?

  • As a lieutenant junior grade, she was responsible for assisting in the training of new recruits.

Synonyms

lieutenant JG
vslieutenant junior grade
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A junior officer in the US Navy or Coast Guard who is above ensign and below lieutenant

is the same rank but in the full spelled-out form
sublieutenant
vslieutenant junior grade
  • UK
1 9.6

A junior officer in the navy or other military force who ranks below a lieutenant

is the specific US naval rank between ensign and the next higher officer

How Senior

commander
  • Specialized
537 4.2
lieutenant commander
  • Specialized
6 6.9
lieutenant
  • US
65 6.4
lieutenant junior grade
  • Specialized
1 6.5
ensign
  • Specialized
382 8.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

lieutenant + junior + grade

The overall meaning — a lower-ranking or subordinate rank of lieutenant — is directly and predictably built from the constituents 'lieutenant' (an officer), 'junior' (lower-ranking), and 'grade' (a rank). A B1 learner who knows these words would infer it denotes a subordinate lieutenant; only the exact position in the U.S. hierarchy (above ensign, below lieutenant) requires specific institutional knowledge.

Etymology

Lieutenant junior grade comes from an old idea of a 'person who holds the place': a lieutenant is someone who stands in for a higher officer, and junior grade shows the lower or younger level. So, the name means 'a lower-ranking officer who can act for a senior one'.