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

Etymology

Origin of biennial

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

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

That was the essence of Ben Weir’s plea ahead of the biennial Libertarian National Convention in Grand Rapids, Mich.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

Participating countries set up pavilions in Venice, and the art biennial typically attracts more than 600,000 visitors over its seven-month run.

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

Google’s stake in SpaceX now stands at 6.11% of the aerospace giant’s shares, according to a biennial report the company filed with Alaska’s Commerce Department last week, which was initially reported by Bloomberg.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 15, 2026

The 31-year-old contributed three points as Europe beat the US for the first time on American soil since 2012 at last year's staging of the biennial event.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 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 MAC3 collection stands at 356 paintings, sculptures and mixed media works, and every other year new pieces will be added from future “Made in L.A.” biennials.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2024

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

Flower Garden.—Sow annuals for succession in the last week, also biennials and perennials in the nursery compartment, for planting out next year.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 7 "Horticulture" to "Hudson Bay" by Various

Related Words

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