quadrennial

adjective

qua·​dren·​ni·​al kwä-ˈdre-nē-əl 

1

: consisting of or lasting for four years

2

: occurring or being done every four years

quadrennial noun

quadrennially

kwä-ˈdre-nē-ə-lē 

adverb

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Both chambers are scheduled to convene in a joint session at 1 p.m. EST Monday, kicking off the quadrennial procedure. —Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025

While the long shadow of another quadrennial upheaval threatened to diminish the NFL’s stranglehold on American media consumption, the 2024 election cycle had relatively little impact on the league’s TV ratings. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Jan. 2025

This will be the first time the quadrennial global sporting event will be streamed. —Brad Adgate, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

That year Li also represented China at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan, the first and only appearance for the men’s team at the quadrennial tournament. —Nectar Gan, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!