pensioner
pensioner Lexical Profile
pensioner Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British A person who receives a regular pension, especially an older person who has retired from work and receives a state retirement payment.
"The local museum offers discounted admission tickets for students and pensioners."
A person who is financially dependent on a regular stipend or allowance from a patron, master, or superior, sometimes with the implication of subservience.
"Several prominent writers of the eighteenth century lived as political pensioners of wealthy aristocrats."
British An undergraduate student at the University of Cambridge (or Trinity College Dublin) who pays for their own tuition and commons rather than receiving financial support as a scholar or sizar.
"He matriculated at Trinity College as a pensioner before winning a college scholarship in his second year."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British, Australian, and Commonwealth English, 'pensioner' is the standard everyday term for a retired older person receiving a state pension, whereas American English speakers much more commonly use 'retiree' or 'senior citizen'.
• Rhymes for pensioner
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Old French 'pensionnaire', from Medieval Latin 'pensionarius', derived from Latin 'pensio' meaning 'a payment or rent', from 'pendere' ('to weigh out or pay').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.