biennial

American  

[bahy-en-ee-uhl] / baɪˈɛn i əl /

adjective

1. happening every two years.

   biennial games.

2. lasting or enduring for two years.

   a biennial life cycle.

3. Botany. completing its normal term of life in two years, flowering and fruiting the second year, as beets or winter wheat.

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noun

• biennials
  plural

1. any event occurring once in two years.

2. Botany. a biennial plant.

biennial British  

/ baɪˈɛnɪəl /

adjective

1. occurring every two years

2. lasting two years Compare biannual

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noun

1. a plant, such as the carrot, that completes its life cycle within two years, developing vegetative storage parts during the first year and flowering and fruiting in its second year Compare annual perennial

2. an event that takes place every two years

biennial Scientific  

/ bī-ĕn′ē-əl /

1. Completing a life cycle normally in two growing seasons.

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1. A biennial plant. In the first year, biennials normally produce a short stem, a rosette of leaves, and a fleshy root that acts as food supply. In the second season, biennials blossom, produce seed, use up their food supply, and die. Carrots, parsnips, and sugar beets are examples of biennials.

2. Compare annual perennial

Commonly Confused

See bi- ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• biennially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• biennials
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of biennial

First recorded in 1615–25; bienni(um) + -al ¹

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Explanation

If you’re just as fanatical about the luge as you are about beach volleyball, you probably know that the Olympic Games are on a biennial schedule. Every two years, either the Summer or the Winter Olympics takes place. Don't mistake biennial for biannual, which means “twice a year.” Annoying? Yes, but other words containing the prefix bi- are even more troublesome. For example, bimonthly can mean either “twice a month” or “every two months.” To avoid confusion, you can use the prefix semi- to mean “twice during a certain time period.” So, it’s correct to say that the Olympics occurs on a biennial schedule, not on a semiannual (or biannual) one.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

biennial biennials

Lepassaar spoke to AFP in Brussels where he unveiled the Athens-based agency's latest biennial report on the state of the EU's cybersecurity.

From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2026

"I don't want to be naive," said Schomaker of the headwinds surrounding the biennial negotiations on protecting the natural world that start on October 19 in Yerevan, Armenia.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Maintaining vintage vehicles is a labor of love, and the biennial smog check requirement poses an additional challenge for collectors, as not all gas stations are equipped to provide this service.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

They are all issues World Athletics has sought to begin addressing with the biennial Ultimate Championship, while also compensating the athletes with record prize money.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Once the first two crates were completed, I carried them down to the art museum for consideration in their upcoming juried biennial.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Very often, my work has been associated with velocity and acceleration of art—more shows, more biennials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

One must feel sympathy for the curators who plan biennials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

The MAC3 collection stands at 356 paintings, sculptures and mixed media works, and every other year new pieces will be added from future “Made in L.A.” biennials.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2024

Over the past decade, however, it has been increasingly common to see art by developmentally disabled artists integrated, without contextual fanfare, into group shows or biennials.

From New York Times ● May 7, 2024

They are biennials, and bloom the second year.

From Dwellers in Arcady The Story of an Abandoned Farm by Thomas Fogarty

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Related Words

• flower
• grass
• herb
• seedling
• shrub
• tree
• vine
• weed

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