Meaning & use
centenary
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Meanings
nouncountableBritish
The day or year, exactly one hundred years after something began or happened, or the celebration held to mark it.
Grammar: Countable: the centenary of the school; in American English the usual word is centennial.
Patterns
- the centenary of something
- centenary celebrations
The town will mark the centenary of its library next spring.
The club held a dinner for its centenary.
Crowds gathered for the centenary of the armistice.
adjectivebefore a nounBritish
Connected with a hundredth anniversary.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a centenary exhibition.
Patterns
- centenary year
- centenary edition
The museum published a centenary edition of the diary.
A centenary concert was held in the old theater.
The centenary exhibition drew many visitors.
Word forms
| plural | centenaries |
|---|
Common combinations
- mark the centenary
- The college marks the centenary with a parade.
- centenary celebrations
- Centenary celebrations lasted all week.
- centenary year
- The company's centenary year was full of events.
- centenary of the founding
- The centenary of the founding of the hospital was celebrated in June.
- centenary edition
- A centenary edition of the novel includes new notes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- centennial
- Centennial is the usual American word and can be a noun or an adjective, while centenary is more British.
- hundredth anniversary
- Hundredth anniversary is the plain explanatory phrase and is easier for learners than centenary, which is a single word.
- anniversary
- Anniversary can refer to any number of years, whereas centenary is exactly one hundred.
Word family
- centenarian noun
- a person who is one hundred years old or more
- century noun
- a period of one hundred years
- bicentenary noun
- the two hundredth anniversary
- centennial noun
- the American word for a hundredth anniversary
Commonly confused: centenary or centenarian?
centenary vs centenarian
A centenarian is a person who is one hundred or older. A centenary is the anniversary itself.
Practice
The factory celebrates its ____ in 2030, exactly one hundred years after opening.
Choose one answer.
Centenary means the hundredth anniversary. A centaur is a mythical creature, a centimeter is a measure and a centurion is a Roman officer.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “centenary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.