ˈstā]d.əs, ˈsta], ]təs sometimes ˈstȧ] or ˈstä]\ noun
( -es )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Latin — more at state
1.
a. : the condition (as arising out of age, sex, mental incapacity, crime, alienage, or public station) of a person that determines the nature of his legal personality, his legal capacities, and the nature of the legal relations to the state or to other persons into which he may enter
b. : the condition of a political entity (as a state) determining its legal character in relationships with other political entities
2.
a. : position or rank in relation to others (as in a social order, community, class, or profession)
the status of a father
the status of a doctor
reduced to the status of a guerrilla leader — Woodrow Wyatt
the city's status as a tourist attraction — Winthrop Sargeant
— compare role
b. : relative rank in a hierarchy of prestige
the status of a corporation executive in the U.S.
a rigid status system evolved during feudalism
c. : superior rank : high prestige : recognition
academic status — Annabel Gray
her connections gave her status in the group
status symbol
status anxiety
the status seekers … continually straining to surround themselves with visible evidence of the superior rank they are claiming — Vance Packard
3. : state of affairs : situation
the status of the negotiations between company and union officials
the inventory status
4. : an abnormal condition of a person or animal
Synonyms: see state