quadrennial
adjective
Did you know?
Most things quadrennial occur every four years (that's the more common use). We can say, for example, that the U.S. presidential election is a quadrennial event. But we can also say that president's term in office is quadrennial, making good use of the "lasting four years" sense. The Latin combining form quadri- adds a factor of four to many English words: quadriceps (the thigh muscle, which has four parts), quadrilateral (a four-sided polygon), quadragenarian (a person in his or her 40s), and quadricentennial (a 400th anniversary), to name a few. The -ennial part of quadrennial has the same root as in biennial and centennial; all trace back to annus, the Latin word for "year."
Examples of quadrennial in a Sentence
Becca Bratcher, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Loeb, general secretary-treasurer James B. Wood and 13 international vice presidents were re-appointed at the union’s quadrennial convention in Honolulu on Thursday.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 1 Aug. 2025
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees late Thursday also re-elected its General Secretary-Treasurer James B. Wood, along with 13 VPs and others at the quadrennial convention in Honolulu.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2025
Holding their quadrennial slating session for state and county offices, county Democratic slatemakers also snubbed Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and instead endorsed, by an overwhelming margin, Lyons Township Assessor Patrick Hynes for the countywide job.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quadrennial
Cite this Entry
“Quadrennial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quadrennial. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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