retired

American  

[ri-tahyuhrd] / rɪˈtaɪərd /

adjective

1. withdrawn from or no longer occupied with one's business or profession.

   a retired banker.

2. due or given a retired person.

   retired pay.

3. secluded or sequestered.

   a retired little village.

   Synonyms:

   solitary, removed, isolated

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retired British  

/ rɪˈtaɪəd /

adjective

1. 1. having given up one's work, office, etc, esp on completion of the normal period of service

      a retired headmistress

   2. ( as collective noun ; preceded by the )

      the retired

2. withdrawn; secluded

   a retired life

   a retired cottage in the woods

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Other Word Forms

• nonretired
  adjective
• quasi-retired
  adjective
• retiredly
  adverb
• retiredness
  noun
• self-retired
  adjective
• semiretired
  adjective
• unretired
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of retired

First recorded in 1580–90; retire + -ed ²

Explanation

Someone who's retired has stopped working permanently. A retired teacher who misses his job might volunteer at an after-school program. Most retired people in the U.S. are over the age of 65, although some are able to retire earlier, and some continue working well into their 70s or 80s. Some jobs provide pensions, or partial salaries, to retired workers, and other retired people take advantage of government-provided benefits like Social Security. To retire means "to stop working," but also "to retreat or withdraw," and in the 1500s, retired meant "separated or withdrawn from society."

Example Sentences

Brian Eckenrode, a retired FBI forensic scientist and expert in human decomposition, joined them in 2021.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

The specimen was first uncovered by a retired chicken farmer, who had sourced rocks from a nearby quarry to build a garden retaining wall.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

Mark West, a retired lieutenant commander who ran beach planning for the special-operations force from 2009 to 2011, said the base dealt with sewage even then.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

He’s a retired wrestler who comes back into her life after his other family kicks him to the curb, and reasons that they’re both entertainers plying their craft to make ends meet.

From Salon • May 4, 2026

“I believe I have had quite enough of rebels,” I announced a few hours later, once Aunt Kitty and I finally retired to our room upstairs.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• elderly
• resigned