tenured

1. 1
   adjective

   Holding a permanent academic or professional position that provides job security and protection from dismissal without cause.

   The tenured faculty voted against the proposed curriculum changes.

   Only tenured staff are guaranteed a position through the restructuring.

   Similarpermanent

   Oppositeuntenured

2. 2
   verb

   Simple past tense and past participle of tenure.

   The committee tenured him despite some opposition from the dean.

   She was tenured shortly after publishing her landmark study.

   Note

   A regular -ed form doing double duty: the committee tenured her, she was tenured, she has been tenured. Because someone else grants the status, the passive comes naturally. Then the participle shades into the adjective for holding tenure: was tenured reports the granting, while is tenured describes the standing that results. The noun reaches back to feudal land-holding, but the verb carries only the academic sense.

3. 3
   adjectivePhilippines

   Experienced from working at a particular workplace for some time; seasoned in the job.

   The tenured agents take the hardest calls while the newbies are still learning the scripts.

   Tenured employees often mentor the recent hires.

   Similarexperienced, seasoned, veteran

   Oppositeinexperienced, new

   Note

   In the Philippines the word measures time served rather than protection earned. Tenured agents are simply the ones who have been on the job long enough to take the hardest calls while newer hires learn the scripts, and no special contract is implied. Readers elsewhere will hear the job-security meaning. For an international audience, write experienced or seasoned when that is all you mean.

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