sergeant major
noun
Simple meaning
The most senior rank of non-commissioned officer in the United States Army.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sahrjuhntmayjerSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsɑɹdʒəntˈmeɪdʒɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
USplural sergeants major
The most senior rank of non-commissioned officer in the United States Army, ranking above a first sergeant. In the United States Marine Corps it ranks above First Sergeant and is equal in grade to Master Gunnery Sergeant.
Britishplural sergeant majors
An appointment (not a rank) in the British Army and Royal Marines, denoting the most senior non-commissioned officer in a battalion, regiment or company.
Canada
A noncommissioned officer serving as chief administrative officer of a headquarters unit of the Army
canada
A senior non-commissioned appointment in the Army of a company or unit, directly responsible to the officer in charge for their soldiers' performance, standards, discipline, morale, welfare, et al, that can be held by a Warrant Officer or above.
A pintano, (Abudefduf saxatilis), species of damselfish.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (US, plural sergeants major) The most senior rank of non-commissioned officer in the United States Army, ranking above a first sergeant. In the United States Marine Corps it ranks above First Sergeant and is equal in grade to Master Gunnery Sergeant.
Used this way, sergeant major is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a military use: it belongs to service and operational language.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Military
- Historical writing
- News/reporting
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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