centenary
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a period of 100 years.
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recurring once in every 100 years.
a centenary celebration.
noun
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a centennial.
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a period of 100 years; century.
adjective
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of or relating to a period of 100 years
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occurring once every 100 years
noun
Etymology
Origin of centenary
1600–10; < Latin centēnārius (adj.), equivalent to centēn ( ī ) a hundred each ( cent ( um ) 100 + -ēnī distributive suffix) + -ārius -ary
Explanation
A centenary is the hundredth anniversary of some event. When your great grandfather turns 100, his birthday party will be the centenary of his birth. If your town is celebrating its centenary, that means it's exactly 100 years old. You can also use this word as an adjective, to describe something that's been around for a hundred years: "The orchestra's centenary concert will happen next summer." Centenary comes from the Latin centum, "hundred," which is also the root of its synonym, centennial.
Vocabulary lists containing centenary
Perfect Ten: Dec, Cent, Mille
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dec, cent, mille
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2015 National Spelling Bee Words
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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.
The research was funded by the Centenary College of Louisiana, the Albert Sklar Family and the Sklar Chair in Chemistry.
From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026
Ka Ying Rising had equalled Silent Witness's 17-win record, set back in 2005, when barely extended in the 1,200m Group One Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin last month.
From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026
In response the Salvation Army told BBC News NI: "As soon as bed bugs were reported at Centenary House, we took immediate action to fumigate".
From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025
Several residents of Centenary House spoke to BBC News NI about alleged issues in the building, which is run by the Salvation Army.
From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025
Students working in the fields are the Juvenile Column of the Centenary.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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.
