junior
junior — adjective
- juniorpositive
- more juniorcomparative
- most juniorsuperlative
1. Having a position in an organization that is below others, with less authority,
Having a position in an organization that is below others, with less authority, less experience, or fewer years of service.
Aylin started as a junior reporter at the local newspaper right after college.
junior + job title for a low-rank position
The junior staff members were asked to work on the weekend while the senior team took a break.
Leo felt frustrated when his junior role meant he could only watch the senior managers make decisions.
As a junior partner at the law firm, Mira handled most of the research for the senior lawyers.
- subordinate
Focuses on someone under the authority of another; more formal and often used in military or strict hierarchies.
- assistant
Emphasises helping a more senior person rather than simply being lower in rank.
- entry-level
Describes the lowest starting position in a career; more specific than 'junior'.
- senior
The direct opposite; having a higher rank, more authority, or more experience.
用法筆記
Often used as part of a job title (junior manager, junior analyst). Frequently contrasted with 'senior'. The preposition pattern is 'junior to' — e.g. 'She is junior to the department head.'
常見錯誤
2. Relating to children or young people under a particular age, especially in sport
Relating to children or young people under a particular age, especially in sports competitions, school programs, or age-based groups.
Anong won first place in the junior division of the science fair last spring.
junior division = age-based category in a competition
The junior tennis championship is open to players aged fourteen and under.
junior + sport for an age-limited competition
In her junior year of high school, Gita started applying to colleges across the country.
Leo signed up for the junior soccer league, which is for kids between nine and twelve.
The school's junior choir performed at the town hall during the holiday season.
- senior
In sport and education, 'senior' refers to the older age group or the final year.
用法筆記
In British English, this sense relates to children aged 7 to 11 in primary education. In American English, 'junior year' specifically refers to the third year of a four-year high school or college program. The age cutoff varies by sport or organization.
常見錯誤
3. Placed after a male name to indicate the person is the younger member of a fathe
Placed after a male name to indicate the person is the younger member of a father-son pair who share that identical full name.
Martin Luther King Jr. led the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1960s.
Jr. after a name = the younger of two men with the same name
The letter was addressed to Robert Chen Jr., even though he now goes by his middle name.
When Samuel Park Jr. took over the family business, his father had already retired to the countryside.
The award was presented to Dr. James Okafor Jr. for his work in community medicine.
- senior
Written as 'Sr.' after a name to indicate the older of two men with the same name.
用法筆記
Usually abbreviated as 'Jr.' in American English, sometimes written in full as 'Junior' in older or British usage. The father is often called 'Sr.' (Senior) or given no suffix. Used almost exclusively for men.
常見錯誤
junior — noun
- juniorsingular
- juniorsplural
1. A person who holds a position near the bottom of an organization's hierarchy, wi
A person who holds a position near the bottom of an organization's hierarchy, with relatively little authority or experience.
The juniors in the office were asked to organize the filing system before the audit.
juniors (plural) = low-rank employees in an office
Heloísa worked as a junior in a marketing agency before she was promoted to team leader.
The senior manager asked one of the juniors to prepare the slides for the client presentation.
Training programs help juniors develop the skills they need to move up in the company.
- subordinate
More formal and hierarchical; focuses on being under someone's authority rather than being at a low level.
- newcomer
Emphasises recent arrival rather than rank; a newcomer could be senior in rank but new to the team.
- senior
A person with a higher rank, more authority, or greater experience.
用法筆記
Often used in the plural (juniors) to refer to this group collectively. The opposite term is 'senior'. Can refer to any professional field — law, finance, marketing, journalism, etc.
2. A child who attends a junior school, typically between the ages of 7 and 11 in t
A child who attends a junior school, typically between the ages of 7 and 11 in the UK education system.
The juniors at the local primary school put on a play about the history of their town.
juniors (plural) = children at a junior school
Nkechi's daughter is now a junior and will move to secondary school next September.
The head teacher announced that the juniors would get new computers for the school library.
The juniors spent the afternoon planting flowers in the school garden for a nature project.
- schoolchild
A more general term for any child attending school, not specific to the junior age range.
用法筆記
Used mainly in the UK, where primary education is divided into 'infants' (ages 5-7) and 'juniors' (ages 7-11). In the US, 'elementary school student' is the more common term.
3. A shortened form of 'junior school' — a school in the UK for children aged 7 to
A shortened form of 'junior school' — a school in the UK for children aged 7 to 11.
Yumi's younger brother just started at the junior down the road from their house.
the junior = the junior school (informal shortening)
The junior has an excellent sports field that the local community also uses on weekends.
Parents gathered outside the junior waiting for their children after the school fair.
The junior near the park has a lunch program that provides free meals to students.
用法筆記
This is an informal shortening of 'junior school'. In formal writing, the full form 'junior school' is preferred. Used mainly in British English.
4. Somebody who has completed two years of a four-year degree at a US high school o
Somebody who has completed two years of a four-year degree at a US high school or university and has one year left before graduating.
As a junior at the University of Texas, Lucas was already thinking about his career after graduation.
junior = third-year university student in the US
The school offers a special internship program for juniors who want to gain work experience.
Élise spent her junior year studying abroad in Japan to improve her language skills.
Most juniors at the high school start taking SAT practice tests in the fall semester.
- third-year student
Universally understood; preferred outside North America.
- penultimate-year student
Very formal; used mainly in official university documents.
用法筆記
Used in the US education system where the four years are: freshman (1st), sophomore (2nd), junior (3rd), senior (4th). Outside the US, 'third-year student' or 'penultimate-year student' is more common.
常見錯誤
5. A young person who takes part in a sport or competitive activity, usually within
A young person who takes part in a sport or competitive activity, usually within a particular age group.
The gymnastics club includes both seniors and juniors, with gymnasts ranging from ages fourteen to eighteen.
juniors = young athletes in an age-based group
Sumin qualified for the national competition as a junior in the local swimming club.
The coach split the players into seniors and juniors for the training session.
Juniors must have a parent or guardian sign the permission form before the tournament.
- youth player
Common in team sports like football and basketball to describe young athletes in a club's development system.
- senior
An athlete or player in the older or higher age division.
用法筆記
The specific age cutoff for 'juniors' varies by sport, organization, or competition rules. Often contrasted with 'seniors' who compete in a higher age division.
6. Somebody who is a specified number of years younger compared to another person.
Somebody who is a specified number of years younger compared to another person.
At forty-five, the new manager is ten years her junior and has a very different management style.
X years someone's junior = X years younger than someone
Leo is three years Emma's junior, but they get along very well as colleagues in the lab.
Sofia married a man who is twelve years her junior, and they have been together for eight years.
Although he is five years my junior, he has far more experience in this field.
- younger
More direct and simpler; used in everyday speech ('He is five years younger than me'). 'Junior' in this sense is more formal and literary.
- senior
Used in the same structure to mean a person who is a certain number of years older ('five years her senior').
文法句型
number + years + possessive + junior
用法筆記
Always used with a specific number of years. The structure is: [number] + years + [possessive pronoun or noun + 's] + junior. The opposite pattern uses 'senior' — e.g. 'ten years her senior'.
常見錯誤
7. A way for a parent to refer to their son when speaking to someone else, especial
A way for a parent to refer to their son when speaking to someone else, especially in British English.
My junior has just started walking, so we had to put gates on all the stairs.
my junior = my son (informal family reference)
Mrs. Chen told the teacher that her junior would be absent on Friday for a family trip.
I need to pick up my junior from football practice before the store closes.
Her junior won the spelling bee at school, and she could not stop smiling about it.
用法筆記
Informal and somewhat old-fashioned in modern use. More common in British English than American English. Always used with a possessive determiner (my, her, his, their). The term 'junior' in this sense is slowly falling out of everyday use.