biennial

American  

[bahy-en-ee-uhl] / baɪˈɛn i əl /

adjective

1. happening every two years.

   biennial games.

2. lasting or enduring for two years.

   a biennial life cycle.

3. Botany. completing its normal term of life in two years, flowering and fruiting the second year, as beets or winter wheat.

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noun

• biennials
  plural

1. any event occurring once in two years.

2. Botany. a biennial plant.

biennial British  

/ baɪˈɛnɪəl /

adjective

1. occurring every two years

2. lasting two years Compare biannual

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noun

1. a plant, such as the carrot, that completes its life cycle within two years, developing vegetative storage parts during the first year and flowering and fruiting in its second year Compare annual perennial

2. an event that takes place every two years

biennial Scientific  

/ bī-ĕn′ē-əl /

1. Completing a life cycle normally in two growing seasons.

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1. A biennial plant. In the first year, biennials normally produce a short stem, a rosette of leaves, and a fleshy root that acts as food supply. In the second season, biennials blossom, produce seed, use up their food supply, and die. Carrots, parsnips, and sugar beets are examples of biennials.

2. Compare annual perennial

Commonly Confused

See bi- ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• biennially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• biennials
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of biennial

First recorded in 1615–25; bienni(um) + -al ¹

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Explanation

If you’re just as fanatical about the luge as you are about beach volleyball, you probably know that the Olympic Games are on a biennial schedule. Every two years, either the Summer or the Winter Olympics takes place. Don't mistake biennial for biannual, which means “twice a year.” Annoying? Yes, but other words containing the prefix bi- are even more troublesome. For example, bimonthly can mean either “twice a month” or “every two months.” To avoid confusion, you can use the prefix semi- to mean “twice during a certain time period.” So, it’s correct to say that the Olympics occurs on a biennial schedule, not on a semiannual (or biannual) one.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

biennial biennials

The biennial meeting's official theme this year is Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

It is an unorthodox message to broadcast as Panama bids against Ecuador to host the next edition of the biennial United Nations biodiversity negotiations in 2028.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Mohn, a longtime underwriter of the museum’s flagship Made in L.A. biennial, said Ryan is extending the program’s impact by returning to participating artists for broader examinations of their work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

They are all issues World Athletics has sought to begin addressing with the biennial Ultimate Championship, while also compensating the athletes with record prize money.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Once the first two crates were completed, I carried them down to the art museum for consideration in their upcoming juried biennial.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Very often, my work has been associated with velocity and acceleration of art—more shows, more biennials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

One must feel sympathy for the curators who plan biennials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

The Hammer is augmenting the MAC3 collection with 80 works it has collected over the 12 years it has been staging its “Made in L.A.” biennials.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2024

Her work, shown at venues like the Whitney and São Paulo biennials, includes sculpture, installation and scholarship.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2023

Style slender.—Stout and coarse biennials, hairy or prickly, with large oblong heads.

From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Asa Gray

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Related Words

• flower
• grass
• herb
• seedling
• shrub
• tree
• vine
• weed

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