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military rank

military rank

1 3.2
A position in the armed forces that shows how much authority someone has
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪlɪˌtɛri ræŋk/
translation icon : rango militar
  • The military rank displayed on his uniform indicated he was a senior officer with years of experience.

Examples

  • As he climbed through the military rank system, he gained more responsibilities and respect from his peers.

  • In a nation where civilian and military rank were of the utmost social and cultural importance, the idea of a mere commander sending generals and admirals unsolicited proposals for peace was unprecedented.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Why is he not facing further sanctions, such as reduction in his military rank?

    Blog text (4)
  • However, in order to do this, they needed to clear the way among the top military ranks, at which point their strategy backfired.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Age, years of formal education, marital status, military unit, and military rank were obtained during the medical and psychological interview.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Equally important, even the power differentials associated with military rank did not mitigate the risk of harassment for women.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Your military rank and position are obvious to me, colonel and so are your attempts to discredit me with my superiors in Berlin.

  • Progress in reducing alcohol abuse in the higher enlisted ranks, for example, was not as marked as in other military rank cohorts.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The purely structural variables (age, military rank, branch of the service, historical location) help to locate the event in a sociologically meaningful way.

    Academic text (1998)
  • In accordance with the articles of war, prisoner will be stripped of his military rank and held in confinement until the firing party will execute the sentence of death.

Synonyms

rank
vsmilitary rank
304 3.2

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

applies specifically to authority levels set by an official armed forces grading system
military rating
vsmilitary rank
5.1

A person's rank in the armed forces

emphasizes an official graded system that defines authority levels

How Senior

general
636 4.2
colonel
208 7.7
major
  • Specialized
922 4.9
military rank
1 3.2
sergeant
422 3.9
corporal
  • Specialized
450 4.3
private
76 3.7

Surface Forms

military rank singular

Morphology

military + rank

The meaning 'a position or level of authority in a military organization' is directly derivable from combining 'military' (relating to soldiers or war) and 'rank' (a level of authority). This is a regular, compositional noun-noun combination found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

The phrase military rank may come from soldiers standing in straight rows. The word rank once meant a row or level, so a soldier's place in the row showed how much power they had, and that is why military rank now means an official 'position' or level of authority.