untenured

[ uhn-ten-yerd ]

adjective

1. unheld, as property or a position.
2. lacking tenure, as a college instructor.
3. not offering or leading to tenure, as some college teaching positions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of untenured¹

un- ¹ + tenured

Example Sentences

Fellow organizer and WSU Regents professor of Chemistry and Materials Science Kerry Hipps said many of the supporters are untenured assistant professors who fear retaliation if they speak publicly against the administration.

From Seattle Times

Roy, of the Faculty for Justice in Palestine group, said that letter represented a “chilling moment of repression” that was endorsed by some influential department leaders with the power to short-circuit the future of students and untenured faculty who don’t agree with it.

From Los Angeles Times

Unaccredited, untenured university, I feel like these are my colleagues who joined start up companies here.

From New York Times

The unions have been fighting for a salary increase, in line with inflation; more job security, including longer contracts for untenured faculty; living wages for teaching assistants; and race and gender equity initiatives, among other demands.

From Washington Post

Though my faculty role at UW was never at risk — something that untenured and contingent faculty cannot count on — my colleagues and I were left reeling during the winter of 2022, unsure how the broader research, teaching, graduate study and public outreach that the withdrawn endowment had supported could continue.

From Seattle Times