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:
Chancellor Friedrich Merz marked the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel by vowing to fight antisemitism in Germany while pressing for a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Horror star Mia Goth is ending her marriage to Shia LaBeouf just days short of their 10th wedding anniversary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
For the 20th anniversary of Irwin’s untimely death, Ivana Rihter reflects on the conservationist’s legacy.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
A couple who first met at Glastonbury will also be heading to Worthy Farm next year to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
It was their parents’ wedding anniversary, and for once Habib didn’t have to drag Zafoona out of bed so that they could go out for dinner.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
But presidents have previously marked major anniversaries by attending several sites including New York, where the majority of the 2,977 victims were killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Dewan and Stiles discussed how their “DWTS” tenure lines up with milestone anniversaries for their beloved dance films “Step Up” and “Save the Last Dance,” respectively.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
In marking these tragic anniversaries, let’s applaud the liberty and prosperity that lulls us, while vowing to resist the totalitarian threats menacing us, be they overseas or next door.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
"Grief comes in waves", Chantelle said, adding there are milestones like her anniversaries or her daughter's birthdays where she "expected to be broken, but I'm not".
From BBC ● May 6, 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.
