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

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Etymology

Origin of quadrennial

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

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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

See Examples For:

quadrennial

This new tradition, which allows many more people to witness our quadrennial peaceful transfer of power, started with Reagan’s 1981 inauguration, by which time Moynihan was a Democratic senator from New York.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

It’s rare that candidates are nominated through conventions, which are often opportunities for endless speeches—much like the quadrennial political conventions that national parties hold to ratify their nominees.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

It capped a month of massive viewing for the quadrennial tournament.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Soccer, it will lead to yet another round of introspection in what has become a quadrennial routine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Each college, from imperial Harvard and lordly Yale to the freshest Western "Institution," whose three professors fondly cultivate the same number of aspiring Alumni, has its particular dialect with its quadrennial changes.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 06, No. 38, December, 1860 by Various

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