anniversary
Americannoun
plural
anniversaries-
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.
-
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
-
of or relating to an anniversary
-
recurring every year, esp on the same date
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.
Dahlia Lithwick: This is a speech that’s supposed to be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026
Starting in January, the world’s largest living history museum would celebrate its 100th anniversary, and Kurt Smith would hit 10 years “interpreting” Thomas Jefferson, a major role at the Virginia museum.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Join leading voices in policy, politics, technology and culture at WSJ Opinion Live in Washington, D.C. for two days of thoughtful on-stage conversations examining America on its 250th anniversary.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Clannad performed their farewell concert in Dublin in 2023, on the 50th anniversary of the release of their debut album.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
Was this the nineteenth anniversary of a famous bank robbery?
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
