Anniversary Meaning
/ˌænɪˈvɜːs(ə)ɹi/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA day that is an exact number of years (to the day) since a given significant event occurred. Often preceded by an ordinal number indicating the number of years.
nounA day that is an exact number of years (to the day) since a given significant event occurred. Often preceded by an ordinal number indicating the number of years., Such a day that commemorates a wedding.
Sentence Examples
We celebrated the centenary anniversary day.
We held a party in honor of the 20th anniversary of our company.
On the anniversary of his wife’s death
CEFR Practice Quiz
My grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding ____ with a big party last weekend.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The couple celebrated their fiftieth wedding ____ with a big party.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English anniversary, from Medieval Latin anniversāria (diēs), anniversārium, from anniversārius (“yearly”), from annus (“year”) + versus, past participle of vertere (“to turn”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The occasion was the six-month anniversary of the Aug. 8 coup that brought General Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores to power."
— 1984 February 27, “Never Mind the Tranquil Facade”, in Time:
"In a thinly veiled threat to Saddam Hussein, President George Bush marked the six-month anniversary of September 11th by reiterating America's commitment to prevent rogue countries obtaining weapons of mass destruction."
— 2002 March 14, ‘Politics this Week’, The Economist:
"Jonathon proposed to his [Jess's] mom on their three-month anniversary of meeting and married her on their fourth."
— 2006, DB Schrock, Soulmonger Dot Com, page 28:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
My grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding ____ with a big party last weekend.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The couple celebrated their fiftieth wedding ____ with a big party.