I. senior 1 W2 BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: 'older' , from senex 'old' ]
1 . having a higher position, level, or rank ⇨ junior :
the senior Democrat on the House committee
White men hold most of the jobs in senior management.
the senior partner in a law firm
senior to
He is also a diplomat, but senior to me.
2 . [only before noun] British English a senior competition is for older people or for people at a more advanced level:
I won the 60-metre race, my first senior success.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ senior management
Within the week senior management approved her proposal.
▪ senior staff
Some senior staff criticized the headteacher's behaviour.
▪ a senior manager
She's now a senior manager for a large toy company.
▪ a senior executive (=in a company)
All the company's senior executives get large bonuses.
▪ a senior official (=in an organization)
a meeting of senior government officials
▪ a senior officer (=in the police or military)
Inspector Wild is the senior officer in charge of the investigation.
▪ a senior partner (=in a law firm etc)
He was a senior partner in a prestigious Canadian law firm.
▪ a senior member
The President announced a reshuffle involving several senior members of his Cabinet.
II. senior 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . American English a student in their last year of ↑ high school or university ⇨ freshman , junior , sophomore :
Jen will be a senior this year.
2 . especially American English a ↑ senior citizen :
Seniors can get a 10% discount.
3 . be two/five/ten etc years sb’s senior to be two, five, ten etc years older than someone ⇨ junior :
Her husband was nine years her senior.
4 . British English an adult or a person who has reached an advanced level in a particular sport ⇨ junior :
Juniors and seniors train together on Wednesdays.
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THESAURUS
■ describing someone’s position in an organization
▪ senior used about someone who has an important position in an organization. Senior can also be used about someone who has a higher position than you in an organization:
a senior executive
|
She’s a senior partner in a law firm.
|
She is senior to me.
▪ chief [only before noun] used, especially in job titles, about someone who has the most important or one of the most important positions in an organization:
Carole is the company’s chief financial officer.
|
He’s the chief economist at Hangseng Bank.
▪ high-ranking [only before noun] used about someone who has a high position in an organization such as the government, the army, or the police:
high-ranking government officials
|
a high-ranking police officer
▪ top [only before noun] used about someone who is very good, important, or successful in their job:
a top lawyer
|
He’s one of the President’s top aides.
|
top diplomats
▪ junior used about someone who has a low position in an organization. Junior can also be used about someone who has a lower position than you in an organization:
a junior clerk
|
a junior doctor
|
His role as naval officer was junior to Nelson.
▪ assistant [only before noun] an assistant manager, director, editor etc has a position just below a manager etc:
He’s an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard University.
|
She became assistant director at the Belgrade Theatre.