# annual

/ˈænjuəɫ/ (US) · /ˈænjuːəl/ (UK)

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

## Senses

### 1. happening once a year

adjective · CEFR B1

happening or done once every year.

For teachers: occurring, appearing, or made once every year; recurring at yearly intervals.

- The company holds its annual meeting every October to discuss the budget.
- The annual report provides a comprehensive overview of the firm's financial performance and strategic objectives for the upcoming fiscal year.

Usage: Usually placed before the noun.

### 2. lasting one year

adjective · CEFR B2

lasting for only one year or one growing season.

For teachers: completing a life cycle or lasting for only one year or growing season.

- Sunflowers are annual plants, so you have to plant new seeds every spring.
- Annual crops like maize and wheat must be replanted each season, unlike perennial grasses that regrow from the same root system.

### 3. a yearly book

noun · CEFR B2

a book or magazine that is published once a year.

For teachers: a publication, such as a yearbook or a collection of stories, issued once a year.

- When I was a child, I always received a Christmas annual full of comic strips.
- The society publishes a scholarly annual that compiles the most significant research papers produced by its members over the last twelve months.

### 4. a one-season plant

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

a plant that lives, flowers, and dies within one year.

For teachers: a plant that completes its entire life cycle, from germination to seed production, within a single growing season.

- The gardener filled the pots with colorful annuals that would bloom all summer.
- While perennials provide the garden's structure, many hobbyists rely on annuals for intense, season-long color displays.

## Examples

- Sunflowers are a popular annual in many gardens.
- The gardener prefers planting an annual like the marigold because it provides bright color all summer long.
- While perennials return year after year from the same root system, an annual must be replanted annually as it exhausts its life cycle in a single season.

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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.