Word
tertiary
Phoneticster·tiary
US/ˈtɝʃɝi/
UK/tˈɜːʃjəɹi/
Definitions
01third in order
adj. coming third in a list, rank, or process.
adj. of third rank, importance, or order in a sequence.
“The company's primary goal is profit, but its tertiary goal is community support.”
“While the primary and secondary effects of the policy were immediate, the tertiary consequences only became apparent after several years.”
Formal · Academic
Usage
Usually placed before the noun it modifies.
Synonyms
02higher education
adj. relating to education at a college or university level.
adj. pertaining to the level of education provided by universities and vocational colleges, following primary and secondary schooling.
“Many students move to the city to begin their tertiary education.”
“The government announced a significant increase in funding for the tertiary sector to encourage more students to pursue degrees in engineering.”
British English · Formal
Usage
Commonly used in the phrase 'tertiary education' in British, Australian, and New Zealand English.
Synonyms
03chemical structure
adj. describing a chemical where three atoms or groups have been replaced.
adj. describing a carbon atom bonded to three other carbon atoms, or a compound containing such an atom.
“The scientist studied the tertiary structure of the protein to see how it folded.”
“Tertiary alcohols are generally more resistant to oxidation than primary or secondary alcohols due to their molecular structure.”
Technical
Usage
Used specifically within organic chemistry and biochemistry.
04geological period
n. a name for the time between 65 million and 2.6 million years ago.
n. a former term for the first period of the Cenozoic era, characterized by the development of mammals.
“Fossils from the Tertiary show how early mammals began to evolve.”
“Although the term Tertiary is still widely used in literature, modern geologists often prefer the terms Paleogene and Neogene.”
Technical
Teaching tip
Note that in modern geology, this term is being replaced by more specific era names, but it remains common in older texts.
Real-World Examples
“The Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC), established in July 2025, is supporting a national target for 80% of the working-age population to hold tertiary qualifications by 2050.” “Although women now outperform men in tertiary education globally, they account for only 29.5% of senior managers with tertiary qualifications.” Etymology
See tertiary.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
Scan code
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