noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈpɛnʃənə/
Received-Pronunciation:[ˈpɛnʃənə] ~ [ˈpɛnʃn̩ə]
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P EH1 N SH AH0 N ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Someone who lives on a pension, especially the retirement or old age pension.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Canada, UK
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: retiree
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Someone who is at the age at which one typically receives a pension; an elderly person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: older adult, senior citizen
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A student who is not dependent on any foundation for support, but pays all university charges.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, obsolete
Qualifier: Cambridge University
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: commoner
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
the beneficiary of a pension fund
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pensionary
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: beneficiary, donee
Narrower terms: old-age pensioner
History
Etymology
From Middle English pensioner, from Anglo-Norman pensionner and Old French pensionnier, from Medieval Latin pēnsiōnārius. By surface analysis, pension + -er.
Across languages
Translations
63 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
مُتَقَاعِد
(mutaqāʕid)
— someone who lives on a pension
Armenian:
թոշակառու
(tʻošakaṙu)
— someone who lives on a pension
Belarusian:
пенсіяне́р
(pjensijanjér)
— someone who lives on a pension
Belarusian:
пенсіяне́рка
(pjensijanjérka)
— someone who lives on a pension
Belarusian:
пэнсiянэ́р
(pensijanér)
— someone who lives on a pension
Belarusian:
пэнсiянэ́рка
(pensijanérka)
— someone who lives on a pension
Bulgarian:
пенсионе́р
(pensionér)
— someone who lives on a pension
Burmese:
ပင်စင်စား
(pangcangca:)
— someone who lives on a pension
Chinese Mandarin:
領養老金的人 /领养老金的人
(lǐng yǎnglǎojīn de rén)
— someone who lives on a pension
Corsican:
pinsiunariu
— someone who lives on a pension
Czech:
důchodce
— someone who lives on a pension
Czech:
důchodkyně
— someone who lives on a pension
Danish:
pensionist
— someone who lives on a pension
Dutch:
gepensioneerde
— someone who lives on a pension
Dutch:
pensionaris
— someone who lives on a pension
Esperanto:
pensiulo
— someone who lives on a pension
Estonian:
pensionär
— someone who lives on a pension
Finnish:
eläkeläinen
— someone who lives on a pension
French:
retraité
— someone who lives on a pension
French:
retraitée
— someone who lives on a pension
Galician:
pensionista
— someone who lives on a pension
Georgian:
პენსიონერი
(ṗensioneri)
— someone who lives on a pension
German:
Rentner
— someone who lives on a pension
German:
Rentnerin
— someone who lives on a pension
German:
Pensionär
— someone who lives on a pension
German:
Pensionärin
— someone who lives on a pension
Greek:
συνταξιούχος
(syntaxioúchos)
— someone who lives on a pension
Hungarian:
nyugdíjas
— someone who lives on a pension
Indonesian:
pensiunan
— someone who lives on a pension
Irish:
pinsinéir
— someone who lives on a pension
Italian:
pensionato
— someone who lives on a pension
Japanese:
年金受給者
(nenkin jukyūsha)
— someone who lives on a pension
Kazakh:
зейнеткер
(zeinetker)
— someone who lives on a pension
Korean:
연금수령자
(yeon'geumsuryeongja)
— someone who lives on a pension
Lithuanian:
pensininkas
— someone who lives on a pension
Lithuanian:
pensininkė
— someone who lives on a pension
Macedonian:
пензионер
(penzioner)
— someone who lives on a pension
Malay:
pesara
— someone who lives on a pension
Norwegian Bokmål:
pensjonist
— someone who lives on a pension
Norwegian Bokmål:
alderspensjonist
— someone who lives on a pension
Norwegian Nynorsk:
pensjonist
— someone who lives on a pension
Norwegian Nynorsk:
alderspensjonist
— someone who lives on a pension
Polish:
emeryt
— someone who lives on a pension
Polish:
emerytka
— someone who lives on a pension
Portuguese:
pensionista
— someone who lives on a pension
Portuguese:
reformado
— someone who lives on a pension
Portuguese:
reformada
— someone who lives on a pension
Portuguese:
aposentado
— someone who lives on a pension
Portuguese:
aposentada
— someone who lives on a pension
Russian:
пенсионе́р
(pensionér)
— someone who lives on a pension
Russian:
пенсионе́рка
(pensionérka)
— someone who lives on a pension
Serbo-Croatian:
penziònēr
— someone who lives on a pension
Serbo-Croatian:
умировљѐнӣк
— someone who lives on a pension
Serbo-Croatian:
penziònēr
— someone who lives on a pension
Serbo-Croatian:
umirovljènīk
— someone who lives on a pension
Slovak:
dôchodca
— someone who lives on a pension
Slovene:
upokojenec
— someone who lives on a pension
Lower Sorbian:
rentnaŕ
— someone who lives on a pension
Spanish:
pensionista
— someone who lives on a pension
Swedish:
pensionär
— someone who lives on a pension
Ukrainian:
пенсіоне́р
(pensionér)
— someone who lives on a pension
Ukrainian:
пенсіоне́рка
(pensionérka)
— someone who lives on a pension
Uzbek:
nafaqaxoʻr
— someone who lives on a pension
