anniversary
Americannoun
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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
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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.
Mr. Troy is a senior fellow in Zionist thought at the Jewish People Policy Institute in Jerusalem and author of “The Essential Guide to the U.S-Israel Partnership, the 250th Anniversary Edition,” forthcoming in June.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
However, in honor of the newly released “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special” on Disney+, it is now being offered up on Airbnb for a much more reasonable price: $0.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
Anniversary celebrations usually involve a combination of congratulations, good wishes, and a few words of reflection and thanks.
From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025
Anniversary showings of these “classics” tend to make up between 20% and 40% of Fathom’s annual revenue, equating to $20 million or more.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025
One, a color film, depicted the People’s Republic of China in celebration of its Fourteenth Anniversary.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
