status

[ stey-tuhs, stat-uhs ]

noun

1. the position of an individual in relation to another or others, especially in regard to social or professional standing:

   Women in India have a lower status than men and therefore less control over money.

2. high social or professional standing; prestige:

   The Wilsons have status in the community because of their charitable work.

3. state or condition of affairs:

   Arbitration has failed to change the status of the disagreement.

4. Law. the standing of a person before the law:

   Those students can receive the same tax breaks as citizens, regardless of their status as immigrants.

5. Digital Technology. a short post on a social networking website or messaging application that gives information about the user’s present situation, activities, thoughts, etc.:

   I changed my Facebook status from married to single.

adjective

1. conferring or believed to confer elevated status:

   a status car; a status job.

status

/ ˈsteɪtəs /

noun

1. a social or professional position, condition, or standing to which varying degrees of responsibility, privilege, and esteem are attached
2. the relative position or standing of a person or thing
3. a high position or standing; prestige

   he has acquired a new status since he has been in that job

4. the legal standing or condition of a person
5. a state of affairs

status

1. The relative position of an individual within a group, or of a group within a society.

Notes

Though the term can refer to either high or low standing, it is often used only to imply a position of prestige.

Other Words From

• non·status adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of status¹

First recorded in 1665–75; from Latin: “the condition of standing, stature, status,” equivalent to sta- (variant stem of stāre “to stand”) + -tus suffix of verbal action; stand

Word History and Origins

Origin of status¹

C17: from Latin: posture, from stāre to stand

Synonym Study

See state.

Example Sentences

Mr Matthews said he now felt "embarrassed" that he trusted Ms Allen-Wyatt due to her status as a footballer.

From BBC

It would take him 20 hours to reach safety in Bulgaria, where he now lives with refugee status.

From BBC

That’s almost to be expected in a place like Wisconsin, whose swing-state status caused residents to be bombarded with political messages.

From Los Angeles Times

They argue that focusing on housing people regardless of their sobriety status has led to successes, like a recent drop in veteran homelessness, that would be undermined if Trump reverses course.

From Los Angeles Times

The team found that these supercharged microglia flooded their environments with an inflammatory chemical, supporting previous research linking that chemical with cognitive status.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• condition
• dignity
• place
• position
• prestige
• prominence
• quality
• rating
• situation
• stature

What Is The Plural Of Status?

Plural word for status

The plural form of status is statuses (not stati). Even though status is derived from Latin, it isn’t pluralized by replacing the -us ending with -i, as is done in many other Latin-derived words ending in -us, such as cactus/cacti and fungus/fungi. 

Most words ending in -s, -ss, -ch, -sh, -x, and –o follow the conventional pluralization pattern of simply adding -es. However, several other words that end in -us are pluralized in the same way as status, including surplus/surpluses and census/censuses. 

Do you know: What is the plural of radius?