What does "major" mean?
A rank of officer in the army and the US air force, between captain and lieutenant colonel.
Major
/ˈmeɪ.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A rank of officer in the army and the US air force, between captain and lieutenant colonel.
- Grammar: major is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: a cut above, above, academic specialty, adc.
- Useful contrasts: minor, diminished, dinkier.
- Usage evidence: Tension is a major cause of heart disease.
How to use "major"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "major" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "major" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "major" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "major" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "major" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "a cut above" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "major", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A rank of officer in the army and the US air force, between captain and lieutenant colonel.
"He used to be a major in the army."
- 2 Title for an army officer with the rank of major.
- 3 the principal field of study of a student at a university wordnet
- 4 A rank of officer in the army and the US air force, between captain and lieutenant colonel.; An officer in charge of a section of band instruments, used with a modifier.
- 5 a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines; below lieutenant colonel and above captain wordnet
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 A person of legal age.
- 7 a university student who is studying a particular field as the principal subject wordnet
- 8 Ellipsis of major key. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 9 Ellipsis of major interval. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 10 Ellipsis of major scale. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 11 A system of change-ringing using eight bells.
- 12 A large, commercially successful company, especially a record label that is bigger than an indie.
"At the end of last year, the band re-signed to XL for another three albums, despite being chased by majors that included Island, says manager Mike Champion of Midi Management."
- 13 The principal subject or course of a student working toward a degree at a college or university. Australia, Canada, New-Zealand, US
"Midway through his second year of college, he still hadn't chosen a major."
- 14 The principal subject or course of a student working toward a degree at a college or university.; A student at a college or university specializing on a given area of study. Australia, Canada, New-Zealand, US
"She is a math major."
- 15 Ellipsis of major term. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 16 Ellipsis of major premise. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 17 Ellipsis of major suit. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 18 A touchdown, or major score. Canadian
- 19 A goal.
- 20 An elder brother (especially at a public school). British, dated, slang
- 21 A large leaf-cutter ant that acts as a soldier, defending the nest.
- 22 Alternative form of mayor and mair. alt-of, alternative, obsolete
Verb
- 1 Used in a phrasal verb: major in. intransitive
- 2 have as one's principal field of study wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Greater in dignity, rank, importance, significance, or interest. attributive
"The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation."
- 2 Greater in number, quantity, or extent. attributive
"the major part of the assembly"
- 3 Notable or conspicuous in effect or scope. attributive
- 4 Prominent or significant in size, amount, or degree. attributive
"to earn some major cash"
- 5 Involving great risk, serious, life-threatening. attributive
"to suffer from a major illness"
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 Of full legal age, having attained majority.
"major children"
- 7 Of or relating to a subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization.
- 8 Having intervals of a semitone between the third and fourth, and seventh and eighth degrees. (of a scale)
"major scale"
- 9 Equivalent to that between the tonic and another note of a major scale, and greater by a semitone than the corresponding minor interval. (of an interval)
"major third"
- 10 Equivalent to that between the tonic and another note of a major scale, and greater by a semitone than the corresponding minor interval. (of an interval); Having a major third above the root.
"major triad"
- 11 (of a key) Based on a major scale, tending to produce a bright or joyful effect. postpositional
- 12 Bell changes rung on eight bells.
- 13 Indicating the elder of two brothers (or the eldest of three), appended to a surname in public schools. UK, dated
- 14 Occurring as the predicate in the conclusion of a categorical syllogism. (of a term)
- 15 Containing the major term in a categorical syllogism. (of a premise)
Adjective
- 1 greater in number or size or amount wordnet
- 2 greater in scope or effect wordnet
- 3 of full legal age wordnet
- 4 (of a scale or mode) having half steps between the third and fourth degrees and the seventh and eighth degrees wordnet
- 5 of the field of academic study in which one concentrates or specializes wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 of greater importance or stature or rank wordnet
- 7 of greater seriousness or danger wordnet
- 8 of the elder of two boys with the same family name wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 An unincorporated community in Owsley County, Kentucky, United States. countable, uncountable
- 3 A village in the Rural Municipality of Prairiedale, No. 321, Saskatchewan, Canada. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Tension is a major cause of heart disease."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "major"?
Common synonyms include: a cut above, above, academic specialty, adc, adult, ahead.
How do you use "major" in a sentence?
Tension is a major cause of heart disease.
How do you pronounce "major"?
Pronounced /ˈmeɪ.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English major, from Latin maior, comparative of magnus (“great, large; noble, important”), from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂yōs (“greater”), comparative of *meǵh₂- (“great”). Compare West Frisian majoar (“major”), Dutch majoor (“major”), French majeur. Doublet of mayor. Noun sense 1 is a shortening of sergeant major, perhaps after Spanish mayor in the same sense.
Etymology 2
* As an English surname of Norman origin, from the personal name Malgier, via Old French from the Germanic name *Madalgari. See Mauger. * As a Hungarian surname, shortened from majorosgazda (see Majoros), or borrowed from German Meyer. * As a Polish, Czech, and Slovak surname, from the military rank major. * As a Jewish surname, variant of Meyer. * As a French and Occitan surname, from the adjective majeur and the military rank major. The latter appears in Canadian French, sometimes also as La Major.