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sesquicentennial

American  
[ses-kwi-sen-ten-ee-uhl] / ˌsɛs kwɪ sɛnˈtɛn i əl /

adjective

  1. pertaining to or marking the completion of a period of 150 years.


noun

  1. a 150th anniversary or its celebration.

sesquicentennial British  
/ ˌsɛskwɪsɛnˈtɛnɪəl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to a period of 150 years

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a period or cycle of 150 years

  2. a 150th anniversary or its celebration

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of sesquicentennial

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80; sesqui- + centennial


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.

See Examples For:

But we were there for the 150th birthday, the sesquicentennial, in 1926.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

It’s the sesquicentennial of Western Australia, and everyone on Tony and Judy’s cul de sac is excited.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2024

Cedar Point had to postpone its sesquicentennial celebration till its 151st birthday, and Hersheypark has finally put the finishing touches on the 23-acre expansion of Hershey’s Chocolatetown, which opened last July.

From Washington Post ● May 20, 2021

You know the rest: Days before the show’s planned opening, the coronavirus pandemic forced this museum and every other in New York to shut down, and turned the Met’s sesquicentennial into an annus horribilis.

From New York Times ● Aug. 27, 2020

It was on the engine at the time of the Carlisle sesquicentennial but disappeared by the time of the St. Louis exposition.

From The 'Pioneer': Light Passenger Locomotive of 1851 United States Bulletin 240, Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology, paper 42, 1964 by John H. White

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