anniversary
Americannoun
-
anniversaries
plural
-
the yearly recurrence of the date of a past event.
the tenth anniversary of their marriage.
-
the celebration or commemoration of such a date.
adjective
-
returning or recurring each year; annual.
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pertaining to an anniversary: anniv.
an anniversary gift.
noun
-
the date on which an event occurred in some previous year
a wedding anniversary
-
the celebration of this
adjective
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of or relating to an anniversary
-
recurring every year, esp on the same date
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of anniversary
1200–50; Middle English anniversarie (< Anglo-French ) < Medieval Latin ( diēs ) anniversāria anniversary (day), Latin anniversārius recurring yearly, equivalent to anni- (combining form of annus year) + vers ( us ) turned, past participle of vertere ( vert- turn + -tus past participle suffix) + -ārius -ary
Explanation
An anniversary marks the date on which an event happened — a five-year wedding anniversary occurs exactly five years after a wedding. When someone refers to "our anniversary," they are typically talking about the day they were married. News organizations regularly recognize the anniversaries of important people's births and deaths, plus anniversaries of significant news events and national tragedies, like Sept. 11 2001 or Dec. 7, 1941. This word comes from Latin; remember that annus means year and you can relate the word to annual. Sometimes the world is used more loosely, like when new couples celebrate their one-month anniversary.
Vocabulary lists containing anniversary
List 8
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 11–September 17, 2021
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 2–October 8, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The launch took place on the day Japan was commemorating the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
As Japan marks the anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombs, its leaders are pushing for a renewed debate on nuclear weapons in a challenge to the nation's long-time pacifist stance.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
To celebrate the club's 80-year anniversary, the shirt comes with a subtle anniversary logo embossed across the chest.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Mahalia Jackson visited Montgomery, Ala., to help mark the first anniversary of that black community’s remarkably successful campaign to desegregate city buses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
On the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Auntie Braxton suffered a massive stroke and was rushed to the hospital by ferry in the middle of the night.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
The CEO of Rape Crisis England & Wales, Ciara Bergman, said "anniversaries are known to be a particularly difficult time" and the "right" support is "vitally important".
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
Xi himself visited Xinjiang and Tibet in 2025 to mark major anniversaries of Beijing giving some nominal political autonomy in those areas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
The spectacular staging builds loyalty, with clients returning later for anniversaries or family stays, she said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
The annual festival has previously celebrated iconic show anniversaries, including a special table read with the cast of “Family Guy” in 2024 for the show’s 25th anniversary that featured musical performances.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2026
I envy everyone who gets to visit graves, bring flowers to them on birthdays and anniversaries.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
