quadrennial

[kwo-dren-ee-uhl]

adjective

1. occurring every four years.

   a quadrennial festival.

2. of or lasting for four years.

   a quadrennial period.

noun

1. an event occurring every four years, as an anniversary or its celebration.

quadrennial

/ kwɒˈdrɛnɪəl /

adjective

1. occurring every four years

2. relating to or lasting four years

noun

1. a period of four years

Other Word Forms

• quadrennially adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of quadrennial¹

1640–50; earlier quadriennial < Latin quadrienni ( um ) ( quadrennium ) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Critics have also voiced concern that the quadrennial athletic event could displace low-income tenants, particularly those who live near Olympic venues.

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I’m personally sympathetic to that road-not-taken argument, but to recycle another of the Democratic Party’s quadrennial hamster-wheel themes, none of that matters in the face of an existential emergency.

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Historically, polls have shown that those quadrennial 90 minutes have little effect on how people will vote in the presidential election.

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Two years into the Olympic cycle means many sports are due to hold their own quadrennial events in July and August 2026.

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Other than that, to call these quadrennial Q&A sessions debates debases the moral and mental acuity of the viewing audience and the English language itself.

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