millennium

American  

[mi-len-ee-uhm] / mɪˈlɛn i əm /

noun

plural

millenniums, millennia

1. a period of 1,000 years.

   This great stone monument has seen it all—hardship, plenty, and everything in between—over a millennium and a half.

2. the year 2000, or the turn of the 21st century.

   In 1995, approaching the millennium, the city covered nearly 67,000 acres and had a population of over 1 million.

3. Christianity. the millennium, the period of 1,000 years during which Christ will reign on earth, as an interpretation of a vision set forth by the apostle John in the book of Revelation. Also the Millennium

4. a period of general righteousness and happiness, especially in the indefinite future.

5. a thousandth anniversary.

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millennium British  

/ mɪˈlɛnɪəm /

noun

1. Christianity the period of a thousand years of Christ's awaited reign upon earth

2. a period or cycle of one thousand years

3. a time of peace and happiness, esp in the distant future

4. a thousandth anniversary

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millennium Cultural  

1. A period of a thousand years foretold in the Book of Revelation. During the millennium, those who have been faithful to Jesus and who have not worshiped the Antichrist will reign with Jesus over the Earth. According to the Book of Revelation, the millennium will precede the final battle for control of the universe; Judgment Day will come afterward.

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Discover More

Figuratively, a “millennium” is a period of great justice and happiness on Earth.

The meaning of the Bible's (see also Bible) words about the millennium has been much debated by Christians (see also Christian). Prophecies about the millennium are part of the basic doctrine of several denominations, including Jehovah's Witnesses.

Other Word Forms

• millennial adjective
• millennialist noun
• millennially adverb

Etymology

Origin of millennium

First recorded in 1630–40; from New Latin, equivalent to Latin mill(e) “a thousand” + -ennium, extracted from biennium, triennium, etc.

Example Sentences

Shipley heard “Eternal Life” on a burned CD of femme-folk artists that was making the industry rounds at the turn of the millennium while he was putting together his “Wayfaring Strangers” lineup.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

And with the new millennium fast approaching, the consumer needed Jacobs’ brand of sartorial insouciance.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

As a result, the Gulf carriers and the hubs they serve have grown rapidly since the start of the millennium, becoming a key junction for long-distance aviation.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Then something pretty extraordinary happened: Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev sent a letter to Ronald Reagan proposing they “enter the third millennium without nuclear weapons.”

From Slate • Feb. 2, 2026

Our archaeologist might therefore look at the Americas and conclude that Africans, despite their apparently enormous head start, would have been overtaken by the earliest Americans within at most a millennium.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond