termination
tur-mi-NAY-shun
/ˌtɜːrmɪˈneɪʃən/
The act of ending something, especially employment.
In employment, it's the formal process or event of ending someone's job, usually initiated by the employer.
The story behind the word. "Termination" comes from the Latin terminatio, meaning "a marking of boundaries, an ending." It's the noun form of "terminate," carrying the same core idea of reaching a limit or conclusion.
Word relationships
- dismissal: Very similar, often interchangeable in employment context.
- firing: More informal.
- ending: Broader term.
- commencement: The beginning of something.
- hiring: The act of employing someone.
Commonly confused with
- resignation: 'Termination' is employer-initiated, 'resignation' is employee-initiated.
Word family
- terminate (verb): To bring to an end; to dismiss from employment.
Collocations
- wrongful termination
- termination clause
- termination of employment
- mutual termination
Example sentences
- "The employee received a formal letter outlining the reasons for the termination of his contract." The formal notice.
- "Any act of gross misconduct could lead to immediate termination." A consequence.
Memory hook
The termination of a project means it has reached its terminus, its end. End point.
When not to use
Don't use if an employee resigns; use 'resignation.'
Fun facts
- In legal contexts, "termination" is preferred over "firing" due to its formal and neutral tone.
Related words
Explore more words
severance, cessation, dissolution, abolish, redundant, discontinue
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.