centennial
Americanadjective
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pertaining to, or marking the completion of, a period of 100 years.
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pertaining to a 100th anniversary.
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lasting 100 years.
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100 years old.
noun
adjective
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relating to, lasting for, or completing a period of 100 years
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occurring every 100 years
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of centennial
1790–1800; < Latin cent- 100 ( see cent) + English -ennial pertaining to a period of years (extracted from biennial )
Explanation
If your parents are celebrating their centennial wedding anniversary, make sure you throw them a really big party. Centennial is a word to describe something that has lasted for 100 years — so your parents have been married an unusually long time! When you notice the cent- bit in the word centennial you probably think of words like century (100 years) and cent (100 pennies that make up a dollar), and that tips you off that centennial has something to do with the number 100. What these words all share in common is an origin in the Latin word centum, meaning 100. In the case of the adjective centennial, the addition of -ennial gives the word its sense of describing a one hundred year anniversary.
Vocabulary lists containing centennial
Perfect Ten: Dec, Cent, Mille
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"Sisters" by Raina Telgemeier
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 15–January 21, 2022
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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.
America’s mood wasn’t much happier at the bicentennial—or the 1876 centennial for that matter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
The first World’s Fair held in America would be happening at the same time in Philadelphia, so the city was also chosen as the site of the centennial events.
From Salon • Jun. 30, 2026
The Wall Street Journal and parent Dow Jones weren’t yet in existence when the country turned 100 and had its centennial bash, in 1876.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
This was the starting line for roughly 70 drivers who gathered to celebrate the centennial of Route 66 with a 2,448-mile, 20-day caravan to Chicago.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
After seeing women omitted from history in the centennial celebrations, the suffragists decided to write their own account of the women’s suffrage movement.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
