life-event
Significant personal milestone
A life-event is a significant occurrence that marks a transition or milestone in someone's personal history—birth, marriage, divorce, death, graduation, job loss, retirement.
The term appears most often in bureaucratic, insurance, or HR contexts, where certain life-events trigger eligibility changes: A qualifying life-event lets you modify your benefits outside the enrollment period.
Also spelled as one word or two.
Marriage rite and feast
- graduationCompleting academic requirements formally
- retirementLeaving the workforce permanently
- birthComing into the world
- promotionRank increase or publicity
anniversary · engagement · baptism · bar mitzvah · quinceañera · coming-of-age · first job · homeownership
Cessation of life
- funeralService honoring the dead
- divorceLegal end of matrimony
- bereavementState following loss
- miscarriagePregnancy lost naturally
job loss · bankruptcy · separation · widowhood · grief · mourning · memorial · obituary
Permanent change of residence
- marriageFormal union between partners
- emigrationLeaving homeland permanently
- career changeMoving to different occupation
- empty nestHome without children anymore
downsizing · coming out · gender transition · conversion · adoption · foster care · blended family · remarriage
Identification of illness
- surgeryInvasive medical procedure
- hospitalizationFormal entry into medical care
- childbirthInfant's emergence from womb
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
remission · disability · accident · injury · amputation · transplant · rehabilitation · chronic illness
Legal proof of wedlock
- birth certificateOfficial record of arrival
- naturalizationLegal path to belonging
- willFaculty of deliberate choice
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
custody · name change · emancipation · power of attorney · guardianship · probate · settlement · registration
wedding
Marriage rite and feast
- graduationCompleting academic requirements formally
- retirementLeaving the workforce permanently
- birthComing into the world
promotion · anniversary · engagement · baptism · bar mitzvah · quinceañera · coming-of-age · first job · homeownership · citizenship
death
Cessation of life
- funeralService honoring the dead
- divorceLegal end of matrimony
- bereavementState following loss
miscarriage · job loss · bankruptcy · separation · widowhood · grief · mourning · memorial · obituary · condolence
relocation
Permanent change of residence
- marriageFormal union between partners
- emigrationLeaving homeland permanently
- career changeMoving to different occupation
empty nest · downsizing · coming out · gender transition · conversion · adoption · foster care · blended family · remarriage · cohabitation
diagnosis
Identification of illness
- surgeryInvasive medical procedure
- hospitalizationFormal entry into medical care
- childbirthInfant's emergence from womb
recovery · remission · disability · accident · injury · amputation · transplant · rehabilitation · chronic illness · mental breakdown
marriage certificate
Legal proof of wedlock
- birth certificateOfficial record of arrival
- naturalizationLegal path to belonging
- willFaculty of deliberate choice
inheritance · custody · name change · emancipation · power of attorney · guardianship · probate · settlement · registration · license
life-eventdaily routine
Recurring set of activities
non-event · routine · daily grind · ordinary day · banality
life-eventdaily routine
Recurring set of activities
habit · recurring task · same old same old · business as usual · normalcy
life-eventcontinuity
Uninterrupted progression or coherence
stasis · steady state · permanence · status quo · equilibrium
life, event, lives, live, lived, living, lively, liveliness, livelihood