Word
centennial
Phoneticscen·ten·ni·al
US/sɛnˈtɛniəɫ/
UK/sɛntˈɛnɪəl/
Definitions
01relating to 100 years
adj. happening once every 100 years, or relating to a 100th anniversary.
adj. relating to or associated with the commemoration of an event that occurred a century prior; occurring once every hundred years.
“The town held a big parade for its centennial celebration this summer.”
“The university published a special centennial edition of its journal to mark one hundred years of academic excellence and research.”
Formal
Usage
Usually placed before the noun it modifies.
02100th anniversary
n. the 100th anniversary of a significant event.
n. the hundredth anniversary of a specific event or the beginning of an institution.
“The museum is planning a special exhibition for the centennial of the artist's birth.”
“In preparation for the centennial, the city council commissioned a series of bronze statues to honour the founding members of the community.”
Formal
Teaching tip
In British English, 'centenary' is more common than 'centennial' for the noun sense.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Late Latin centennis (“100-year”) + -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/centennial