French word

licencié

Pronunciation

IPA/lisɑ̃sje/

Meaning

  • adjectivelaid off

Example

Il est licencié depuis trois mois.

He has been laid off for three months.

Illustration for licencié (laid off)

More examples

Après l'annonce, plusieurs employés licenciés ont quitté le bureau.

After the announcement, several fired employees left the office.

Core concept

A worker standing outside the former job that once provided a role and regular income.

Common phrases

  • être licencié

    be fired

  • salarié licencié

    fired employee

  • licencié pour motif économique

    fired for economic reasons

Similar words

renvoyé: Fired by an employer and no longer receiving regular wages.
viré: Informally fired and suddenly made to leave the workplace.
congédié: Formally dismissed from a position after the employment contract is ended.
remercié: Euphemistically let go, ending the job and regular pay.

Definition in French

Décrit une personne privée de son emploi, que ce soit pour motif économique, disciplinaire ou autre.

Word origin

Licencié comes from licencier, which is related to licence and ultimately to Latin licentia, meaning freedom or permission, with release later acquiring the sense of dismissal.

Usage tips

  • With être, licencié describes the employee's status, while licencier quelqu'un means to dismiss someone.

Other meanings

  • laid-off workernoun

Opposites

  • embauchéhiredadjective
  • recrutérecruitedadjective

Related words

Word lists with this word