centenary
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a period of 100 years.
-
recurring once in every 100 years.
a centenary celebration.
noun
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centenaries
plural
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a centennial.
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a period of 100 years; century.
adjective
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of or relating to a period of 100 years
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occurring once every 100 years
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of centenary
1600–10; < Latin centēnārius (adj.), equivalent to centēn ( ī ) a hundred each ( cent ( um ) 100 + -ēnī distributive suffix) + -ārius -ary
Explanation
A centenary is the hundredth anniversary of some event. When your great grandfather turns 100, his birthday party will be the centenary of his birth. If your town is celebrating its centenary, that means it's exactly 100 years old. You can also use this word as an adjective, to describe something that's been around for a hundred years: "The orchestra's centenary concert will happen next summer." Centenary comes from the Latin centum, "hundred," which is also the root of its synonym, centennial.
Vocabulary lists containing centenary
Perfect Ten: Dec, Cent, Mille
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dec, cent, mille
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2015 National Spelling Bee Words
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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.
See Examples For:
The basilica was due to be finished for this year’s centenary of Gaudí’s death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
US-indicted Cuban leader Raul Castro received a standing ovation as he appeared in public for the first time in months Thursday, attending an event in Havana to mark the centenary of his brother Fidel's birth.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Founders appear at centenary celebrations and sign pledges to “common prosperity.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
England Netball formed in 1926, making 2026 the national body's centenary year.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
A recent centenary conference and festival devoted to him in modern Hungary simply described him, correctly, as 'European'.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
The festival was bookended by two comedies celebrating their centenaries: Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” and Buster Keaton’s “Go West.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
With 2019 short on big musical centenaries, the 150th anniversary of the death of Berlioz features prominently.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 1, 2019
The company, led by the artistic director, Mikko Nissinen, opens its season with “Genius at Play,” a program developed in celebration of the centenaries of Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein.
From New York Times ● Sep. 12, 2018
It celebrates the centenaries of two laws that enfranchised some British women and gave those over 21 the right to stand for Parliament.
From Economist ● Apr. 19, 2018
In many centenaries the dominant interest is the personal.
From Report of Commemorative Services with the Sermons and Addresses at the Seabury Centenary, 1883-1885. by Diocese Of Connecticut
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.
