quadrennial

American  

[kwo-dren-ee-uhl] / kwɒˈdrɛn i əl /

adjective

1. occurring every four years.

   a quadrennial festival.

2. of or lasting for four years.

   a quadrennial period.

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noun

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

quadrennial British  

/ kwɒˈdrɛnɪəl /

adjective

1. occurring every four years

2. relating to or lasting four years

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noun

1. a period of four years

Other Word Forms

• quadrennially
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of quadrennial

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

Explanation

The U.S. presidential election is a quadrennial event, something that happens every four years. And because the word also means "lasting four years," you can say that the newly-elected President will serve a quadrennial term. While the "happening every four years" meaning is more common, you can use the word quadrennial in both ways. You might describe your high school years, ninth to twelfth grade, as a quadrennial, while also referring to your favorite quadrennial sporting event, Olympic figure skating. This word is from the Latin quadri-, "four," and -ennial, from annus, "year."

Example Sentences

Soccer fans all around the globe have used the experience of the quadrennial World Cup as a way to mark the stages of life.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

But when an analyst asked whether the quadrennial event would have a Swift-level impact on business, executives said it wouldn’t.

From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026

The event intends to complement the quadrennial UK City of Culture, with applications for the 2029 edition already underway - Bradford won the title in 2025.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2024

I refer to his quadrennial appearance as a delegate in Republican National Conventions, where for a brief hour he enjoys the spotlight importance of a political supernumerary on the party stage.

From The Ballotless Victim of One-Party Governments The American Negro Academy, Occasional Papers No. 16 by Grimké, Archibald Henry