Meaning & use
millennium
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A period of one thousand years.
Grammar: Countable; the plural is 'millennia' or 'millenniums'.
Patterns
- a millennium of something
- over several millennia
- the first millennium
The temple has stood for more than a millennium.
These customs have been passed down for millennia.
The first millennium began with the birth of Christ.
nounsingular
The point in time when one thousand-year period ends and the next begins.
Grammar: Often used with 'the' and a date, as in 'the millennium'.
Patterns
- the turn of the millennium
- celebrate the millennium
Many people celebrated the new millennium in 2000.
The city built a new bridge at the turn of the millennium.
Word forms
| plural | millennia |
|---|---|
| plural | millenniums |
Common combinations
- the turn of the millennium
- At the turn of the millennium, few people had smartphones.
- for millennia
- People have used this plant for medicine for millennia.
- the new millennium
- The new millennium began in 2001.
Synonyms and how they differ
- thousand years
- A plain phrase used in everyday speech; 'millennium' is more formal and often used in historical writing.
Word family
- millennial adjective
- Relating to a millennium or to a period of a thousand years.
- millennia noun
- The plural of 'millennium', meaning multiple thousand-year periods.
Commonly confused: millennium or millennium?
millennium vs millennium
Sometimes misspelled as 'millenium' with one 'n'; the correct spelling has double 'n'.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
'Millennium' is spelled with two 'n's, and the singular form is needed after 'a'. 'Millennia' is plural and would need a plural context; 'millenium' is a misspelling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “millennium”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.