annually
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of annually
First recorded in 1580–1600; annual ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
Explanation
Something that happens annually occurs once a year, every year. If you vacation at the beach annually, you do it every summer. Many people send holiday cards annually, mailing stacks of them every December, and everyone celebrates a birthday annually. If your work performance is reviewed annually, your boss might consider giving you a raise each year. The adverb annually comes from the adjective annual, which is rooted in the Late Latin annualis, based on annus, or "year."
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.
The Louvre burglary stunned the world and revealed major security lapses at the world's most visited museum, visited by around nine million people annually.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
The trimmed mean and weighted median measures of underlying inflation preferred by the Bank of Canada averaged 1.85% annually in June, below the bank’s 2% target and at the softest level since 2020.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The World Health Organization estimates that around 7 million people die from air pollution annually, while 99% of the world’s population lives somewhere that is exposed to air pollution levels above WHO health guidelines.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
The project also would need 6,500 acre-feet of fresh water annually for washing the mineral and cooling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Most of New Guinea receives over 100 inches of rain annually, and much of the highlands receives over 200 inches, while most of Australia receives less than 20 inches.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.