quadrennial

[ kwo-dren-ee-uhl ]

adjective

1. occurring every four years:

   a quadrennial festival.

2. of or lasting for four years:

   a quadrennial period.

noun

1. an event occurring every four years, as an anniversary or its celebration.

quadrennial

/ kwɒˈdrɛnɪəl /

adjective

1. occurring every four years
2. relating to or lasting four years

noun

1. a period of four years

Derived Forms

• quadˈrennially, adverb

Other Words From

• quad·renni·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of quadrennial¹

1640–50; earlier quadriennial < Latin quadrienni ( um ) ( quadrennium ) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

I’m personally sympathetic to that road-not-taken argument, but to recycle another of the Democratic Party’s quadrennial hamster-wheel themes, none of that matters in the face of an existential emergency.

From Salon

Historically, polls have shown that those quadrennial 90 minutes have little effect on how people will vote in the presidential election.

From Los Angeles Times

Two years into the Olympic cycle means many sports are due to hold their own quadrennial events in July and August 2026.

From BBC

Other than that, to call these quadrennial Q&A sessions debates debases the moral and mental acuity of the viewing audience and the English language itself.

From Salon

With the passage of the Presidential Protection Act of 2000, and 9/11 the quadrennial gatherings have increasingly become paramilitary affairs.

From Salon