Meaning & use
calendar
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Meanings
nouncountable
A chart or system that shows the days, weeks, and months of a year.
Grammar: Countable; can be used with 'a' or in the plural: a calendar, calendars.
Patterns
- a calendar for [year]
- on the calendar
- check the calendar
I marked the holiday on my calendar.
The calendar on the wall showed December.
nouncountable
A schedule or list of planned events and appointments.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'busy' or 'full': a busy calendar.
Patterns
- a busy calendar
- a social calendar
- have a full calendar
Her calendar is full of meetings this week.
The conference calendar includes several workshops.
Word forms
| plural | calendars |
|---|
Common combinations
- mark on the calendar
- Please mark the date on the calendar.
- calendar year
- The fiscal year does not match the calendar year.
- monthly calendar
- She printed a monthly calendar for the team.
- calendar event
- I added the party as a calendar event.
Synonyms and how they differ
- schedule
- Schedule often refers to a detailed plan of times, while calendar can mean the chart or system itself.
- timetable
- Timetable is more common in British English for a list of times, especially for transport or classes.
Word family
- calendrical adjective
- Relating to a calendar or its calculations.
Commonly confused: calendar or calender?
calendar vs calender
A calender is a machine that presses cloth or paper, not a chart of dates.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
We usually say 'on a calendar' for a physical chart; 'in' is possible for a digital one, but 'on' is the standard choice here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “calendar”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.