Retiree, The Word. Make it New, Or Make It History.

By Erica and Karen

What’s in a name?

If the name is retiree, many things. Some good. Some bad.

What’s good? Retiree means, inevitably, a person of accomplishment. You can’t be a retiree unless you worked, often for decades, often in a demanding job. You can’t be a retiree unless you achieved your career goals and are now ready for something different.

What’s bad? Retiree connotes, inevitably, someone who is pulling back. Bad enough that it is pulling back from a career—a different image than ending that career on a high note—but often, retiree is taken to mean pulling back from the world, altogether. Perhaps acquiescing to the assumption that someone no longer pursuing a career is no longer of value to society. Thesaurus.com says the strongest matches are: depart; go; pullout; relinquish; remove; retreat; separate; surrender; withdraw. Quite odd, considering you can’t be retired unless you have attained a great deal.

And the word is regularly used as an indicator of age. Of course, as is likely, most retirees will have lived a few decades, but WordHippo has these absurd similes, among many other doozies: dotard; wrinkly; oldie; superannuated; old fogey. These characterizations do not fit people who have run the course and now have a multi-decade runway for their next gig. These words are rude and insulting to anyone of age.

So the problem with the word retiree is that the bad part is really bad. Entirely misrepresentative. We need to find a new word—or to reclaim the old word and make people understand that its meaning has changed since it was invented in the 1950s.

We at Lustre have tried, for years, to come up with better words than those beginning with retire. So have others. Among the words we have seen: rewire; refire; rework; reboot, reinvent, graduate.

Forbes has concluded the search for a new word is hopeless, so we need to change the word retirement itself, to retirements, with the implication we will do it more than once.

While the search for the perfect replacement term for retirement may be officially over, it’s more important than ever for people to become aware of the freedom and opportunity the new term “retirements” offers them.  There are countless people out there who are still struggling with a decision to retire or who are feeling burdened by what to do now after recently being downsized.  So, help them out and ask, “Will this be your first retirement?” And let them know whatever they decide to do, it’s simply a proactive transition from one role or situation into the next one.

We like the idea. We too have concluded no-one has invented a great new word. And it may better reflect work practices of current generations, who seem to prefer not to stay in any job for too long. Indeed, that may take care of the whole problem—though it also probably is inextricably linked to a lack of any retirement financial plan.

The other issue—the word retirements does not really help with the word retiree. How to fix that one? First-time retiree? Serial retiree? Pivoteer? Transformer? Transitioner? Graduate? Second stager? A little clunky, we think. So we will keep working to reclaim the words we have.

Have you found a word you like? Please let us all know!