Definition of: retirement

(ri·tīr′mənt) noun
1. The act of retiring, or the state of being retired; withdrawal; seclusion.
2. A secluded place. Synonyms: loneliness, privacy, seclusion, solitude. In retirement one withdraws from association he has had with others; in seclusion one shuts himself off from the society of all except intimate friends or attendants; in solitude no other person is present. As private denotes what concerns ourselves individually, privacy denotes freedom from the presence or observation of those not concerned or whom we do not wish to have concerned in our affairs; privacy is more temporary than seclusion; we speak of a moment's privacy. There may be loneliness without solitude, as amid an unsympathizing crowd, and solitude without loneliness, as when one is glad to be alone. See SECLUSION, SOLITUDE. Antonyms: association, companionship, company, fellowship, society.