junior 1 of 2

adjective

ˈjün-yər How to pronounce junior (audio)
Definition of juniornext
as in smaller
having not so great importance or rank as another junior advisers to the governor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

junior

2 of 2

noun

as in subordinate
one who is of lower rank and typically under the authority of another she's his junior in the company

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of junior
Adjective
Similar to the fourth quarter against North Carolina, offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis took the ball out of Craig’s hands and leaned heavily on junior running back Jeremy Payne. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Oct. 2026 Two plays from junior free safety Jake Martin proved his coach right after the 14-7 victory. — Caleb Otte, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Noun
The routine output juniors used to produce is what clears the gate, so what is left is checking, correcting and escalating what an agent produced. — Manu Khetan, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Now in his second full season as a college starter at Notre Dame, Carr, a junior, plays quarterback like a grown man. — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for junior
Recent Examples of Synonyms for junior
  1. less
  2. subordinate
  3. lesser
  4. minion
  5. lower
  6. assistant
  7. small
Adjective
  • Parents can contribute up to the lesser of the regular maximum contribution limit of $7,500 in 2026 or their child's total annual earnings.
    — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • While the government touted Rubin’s overtime savings, Local 64 leaders said the cuts meant less staff and resulted in unsafe operations.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of less
Noun
  • Keeping track of scheming or incompetent subordinates has always been the autocrat’s chief burden.
    — Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Investigators have accused one of his subordinates of running a fraud scheme, though Kravchenko himself has not been charged or named a suspect.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of subordinate
Adjective
  • Even lesser-scale incidents like the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal and the Volkswagen emissions scandal erode trust in the institutions that help make our society possible and push it forward.
    — Lindsey Witmer Collins, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Toronto’s Fred VanVleet appears to be the top target, but Miami’s Kyle Lowry, Utah’s Mike Conley and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier have been linked to the team at various points.
    — Staff Writer Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2023
Definition of lesser
Noun
  • There are references to demons, being burned alive, and the duende king explicitly commands his minions to kill Jo and Raissa.
    — Parents, Parents, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Musashi becomes part of a crew that fights the Genma and Yoshitsune’s minions.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of minion
Adjective
  • Despite those lower court rulings, the practice has continued nationally, said Gregory Chen, the senior director of government relations for the Immigration Lawyers Association.
    — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 3 Sep. 2025
  • And ultimately, the Supreme Court overruled those lower court rulings and did declare the embryos as children qualifying under the wrongful death statute.
    — Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024
Definition of lower
Noun
  • Kentucky Boy was conceived of by Old Forester assistant master distiller Caleb Trigo and Woodford Reserve master distiller Elizabeth McCall as a tribute to Morris for his 50th anniversary with Brown-Forman.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Greengart pointed to the Rabbit r1 personal assistant, which lacked distinct use cases from the smartphone and faced technical and hardware issues.
    — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of assistant
Adjective
  • Only about a dozen countries have active programs, including small Caribbean island states.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The treasurer’s office says the administrative cost of processing very small payments can exceed their value.
    — Mark Lewyn, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of small

Browse Nearby Words

jungles
junior
junior high school
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Junior.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/junior. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inscrutable

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All