centennial

noun

cen·​ten·​ni·​al sen-ˈte-nē-əl 

: a 100th anniversary or its celebration

centennial adjective

centennially

sen-ˈte-nē-ə-lē 

adverb

Examples of centennial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Duncan helped stage several exhibitions of Pousette-Dart’s work, including a showcase celebrating the centennial of his birth at the Whitney Museum of American Art, to an exhibition at the Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden, Germany. — News Desk, Artforum, 22 July 2026

Spain, Portugal and Morocco won the hosting rights through an unusual process that effectively left the joint bid unopposed after FIFA designated the centennial matches for South America. — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Duncan also helped support the realization of the Whitney Museum’s centennial celebrations for Pousette-Dart in 2016, as well as organizing the first exhibition of the artist’s photography. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 21 July 2026

This story is part of a retrospective series commemorating NBC’s centennial that Variety is publishing through a partnership with NBCUniversal. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin centum + English -ennial (as in biennial)

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for centennial

• bicentennial
• biennial
• decennial
• millennial
• perennial
• quadrennial
• quinquennial
• triennial
• sesquicentennial

Kids Definition

centennial

1 of 2 noun

cen·​ten·​ni·​al

sen-ˈten-ē-əl

: a 100th anniversary or its celebration

centennial

2 of 2 adjective

: relating to a period of 100 years

centennially

-ē-ə-lē

adverb