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Glite Dictionary
pink-slipped

pink-slipped

1 8.1
No longer working at a job because the company laid you off
  • adjective
  • /pɪŋk slɪpt/
  • Informal
translation icon : despedido
  • After being pink-slipped from her position, she took the opportunity to start her own business.

Examples

  • How many school librarians have we met or read about who have been pink-slipped?

    Academic text (2012)

  • I got pink slipped.

    Jane Doe (2001)

  • I just got pink-slipped.

    Blood in the Water (2016)

  • He was pink-slipped during the company layoffs, along with several of his colleagues.

  • Many workers were pink-slipped, leading to a significant rise in unemployment rates.

Synonyms

laid-off
vspink-slipped
  • US
68 4.0

Without a job because the company reduced staff or closed

has identical meaning but uses a different expression
discharged
vspink-slipped
4.1

No longer working for a company because they lost their job

focuses on job loss caused by company reductions rather than general removal
dismissed
vspink-slipped
3.2

A person who no longer has their job because they were fired

emphasizes job loss tied to company decisions rather than personal fault
fired
vspink-slipped
2.2

A person who no longer has their job because their boss told them to leave

refers to job loss from company business reasons rather than employer punishment

Antonyms

hired
1.1

A person paid to do a job for someone

How Secure

employed
1.0
pink-slipped
  • Informal
1 8.1

Surface Forms

pink-slipped positive

Morphology

pink-slipped = pink slip (opaque) = pink + slip + ed

The compound 'pink slip' is an idiomatic term for a dismissal notice; knowing 'pink' and 'slip' does not allow learners to infer this meaning by normal compositional rules.

Etymology

The word pink-slipped comes from the old practice of giving a pink 'slip', a small pink piece of paper, to workers when they were fired. So, to be pink-slipped is 'to be dismissed' or laid off from a job.