annually
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of annually
First recorded in 1580–1600; annual ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
Explanation
Something that happens annually occurs once a year, every year. If you vacation at the beach annually, you do it every summer. Many people send holiday cards annually, mailing stacks of them every December, and everyone celebrates a birthday annually. If your work performance is reviewed annually, your boss might consider giving you a raise each year. The adverb annually comes from the adjective annual, which is rooted in the Late Latin annualis, based on annus, or "year."
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.
It is expected to raise as much as £50 annually.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Her entertainment empire, worth more than $500 million, spanned multiple venues including the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., which draws more than two million visitors annually.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
He now works as a muralist and is making less than $50,000 annually.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Unlike the federal government, states generally must balance their budgets annually.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
As Equiano explained, the island of Montserrat “requires 20,000 new Negroes annually, to fill up the vacant places of the dead.”
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
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.
