# anniversary

/ˌænəˈvɝsɝi/ (US) · /ˌænɪvˈɜːsəɹˌi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/anniversary
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. yearly milestone

noun · CEFR B1

a day that is exactly one or more years after a special event happened.

For teachers: the annual recurrence of a date marking a notable past event, typically a wedding, the founding of an institution, or a historical occurrence.

- My parents are celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with a big party this weekend.
- The university held a series of lectures and gala dinners to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of its founding by the royal charter.

Usage: Often preceded by an ordinal number like 'first', 'tenth', or 'fiftieth'.

Teaching tip: While 'anniversary' usually implies years, modern speakers sometimes use 'month-anniversary' for shorter periods, though this is informal.

### 2. non-yearly milestone

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a date that marks a specific amount of time since an event, even if it is not a full year.

For teachers: a milestone marking a significant period of time other than a year, usually specified by a prefix.

- They went out for a nice dinner to celebrate their six-month anniversary of dating.
- The startup team marked their one-month anniversary of the product launch by reviewing their initial user growth statistics.

Usage: Requires a time-period modifier, such as 'six-month' or 'one-week'.

Teaching tip: Strictly speaking, the 'anni-' root means year, but learners will encounter 'month-anniversary' in casual dating or workplace contexts.

## Examples

- They are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary today.
- The company held a gala dinner to mark the fiftieth anniversary of its founding.
- While many view the anniversary as a time for celebration, for others it serves as a somber reminder of the historical tragedy that occurred on that same date decades ago.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.