1
2
: of or relating to juniors or the class of juniors at an educational institution
the junior prom
3
a
: lower in standing or rank
junior partners
b
: duplicating or suggesting on a smaller scale something typically large or powerful
a junior gale
1
a(1)
: a person who is younger than another
a man six years my junior
(2)
: a male child : son
(3)
: a young person
b
: a clothing size for women and girls with slight figures
2
a
: a student in the next-to-the-last year before graduating from an educational institution
b
: a person holding a lower position in a hierarchy of ranks
3
capitalized
: a member of a program of the Girl Scouts for girls in the third through sixth grades in school
Synonyms
Examples of junior in a Sentence
Adjective
She is a junior partner in the law firm.
junior advisers to the governor
Noun
They are my juniors in rank.
She's a junior at the state college.
Recent Examples on the Web
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Washington suffered a torn ACL his junior year of high school.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for junior 
Adjective
Flaherty was magnificent his junior year at Harvard-Westlake in 2013, winning 1-0 at Dodger Stadium in the Southern Section Division 1 final while going 13-0 with an 0.63 ERA.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Washington suffered a torn ACL his junior year of high school.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for junior
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'junior.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Junior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/junior. Accessed 4 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
junior
1 of 2 adjective
ju·nior
ˈjün-yər 
1
a
: being the younger one
—used chiefly to distinguish a son with the same given name as his father
b
: designed for young teenagers
2
: lower in standing or rank
junior partner
3
: of or relating to juniors in a school
junior
2 of 2 noun1
: a person who is younger or of lower rank than another
2
: a student in the next-to-last year in a high school, college, or university
Legal Definition
junior
adjective
ju·nior
ˈjü-nyər
: of lower standing or rank
a junior lienholder
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