Slang dictionary
coronaversary
[ kuh-roh-nuh-vur-suh-ree ]
The term coronaversary is a slang term with several meanings, all related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It can refer to a wedding anniversary that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, the anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, or the anniversary of the beginning of COVID-19 lockdowns.
The use of coronaversary to refer to the declaration of the pandemic by the WHO is also reflected in the alternative term “pandemicversary,” which is observed on March 11.
Coronaversary is often used in a facetious or ironic tone to express frustration with the various challenges caused by COVID-19.
Examples:
- My wife and I spent our coronaversary in quarantine.
- We are coming up on the coronaversary, and the virus is still as deadly as ever.
Where does coronaversary come from?
The word coronaversary is a blend of the words corona (shortened from coronavirus) here referring to the virus that caused the deadly COVID-19 pandemic) and anniversary. Coronavirus here refers to the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic. An anniversary is a yearly recurrence of something or a celebration of the yearly date of a certain event.
So, coronaversary can mean the commemoration of the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak or an anniversary, especially a wedding anniversary, that happened during the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
The term coronaversary has been used on social media since nearly the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. As early as March 2020, coronaversary was used both to refer to an eventual anniversary of the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus and to wedding anniversaries that happened during the pandemic.
I can’t wait until next year when we are all hopefully alive and remembering the horrible #coronaversary. #Covid_19
— mayeen (@MayeenFarooqui) March 14, 2020
It's my anniversary. My husband and I are self-isolating and both barely remembered. So it looks like homemade pizza and salad with Netflix and cheap wine or Fireball. Oh! And M&Ms 😍 Because we stocked up on the essentials. #coronaversary pic.twitter.com/wklalxx42k
— WearADamnMask (@ArrDJay) March 18, 2020
Happy 8th Anniversary to my amazing husband, @zanekingsteel. We’ve only just begun. #anniversary #coronaversary #candlelightdinnerathometonight pic.twitter.com/whE9gyedb1
— Donna King (@donnakingmusic) March 16, 2020
The word coronaversary would be used to refer both to the anniversary of the emergence of the virus in China during November 2019 and the anniversary of the virus reaching the United States around March of 2020.
#oneyearanniversary #coronaversary #coronapandemic
The world has indeed changed in the last year and how! Here's hoping that next year same time we shall be able to look behind at this phase as a past memory & not a present reality 🤐 pic.twitter.com/HphLHoSZsU— Dr. Vineet Aggarwal (@drumbeatsofeden) November 17, 2020
It feels like a hundred years ago, but the first case of COVID19 infection was discovered one year ago today.
Happy Coronaversary?— 1 of 81,281,502 (@ResisterDude) November 20, 2020
it’s almost march. nearly reaching our 1st coronaversary 😭
— You know who (@yxuknowwho_) February 20, 2021
it cannot possibly be march in 2 weeks. we are approaching our coronaversary.
— emma ☽ (@EmmaIorio3) February 16, 2021
Coronaversary was mostly limited to social media although it was occasionally used in opinion pieces in some publications.
Examples of coronaversary
Who uses coronaversary?
The term coronaversary is used on social media to mark the anniversary of the COVID-19 virus outbreak or to celebrate a wedding anniversary that happened during the pandemic. The former uses, of course, are usually meant to be sarcastic or flippant.
It's my eight month corona-versary! Eight months of absolute misery!#coronaversary#COVID#COVID19
— kimberly ann carlson (@redhead6581) November 30, 2020
i'm already sick of people talking about their coronaversary, yes it's been a year goddammit
— Al Shipley (@alshipley) February 18, 2021
Happy 11th anniversary to the love of my life, @carrie_k ❤️
Best #coronaversary ever! pic.twitter.com/u0pWmJUY9S
— Carter (@crtr0) April 26, 2020
Happy Coronaversary! #coronavirus #coronaversary pic.twitter.com/G6qPpm6FEH
— Dads Detective (@DadsDetective) March 24, 2020
On March 11, 2021, the use of coronaversary dramatically increased as people recognized the one year anniversary of the day the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic.
🎉 Happy Coronaversary!! 🎉
March 11 will always be the day the pandemic started in my mind. We made it a year, y’all.
— Lexie Hicks Johnston (@lexiememphis) March 11, 2021
Happy Coronaversary! Today is 1 year since we received the email "classes suspended from today until March 30th" and we haven't been back since…
— Matt Bowman (@bowman_physics) March 11, 2021
The term “pandemicversary” was also used to “celebrate” March 11 as the anniversary of the declaration of the pandemic.
I feel like the return to normal March weather is making the pandemicversary start to hit and I'm becoming more aware of how much the past year has melted my brain
— Molly (@MollyMArndt) March 11, 2021
It's a been year….that's for darn sure! #pandemicversary
— Ken Smith (@Tolerated13) March 11, 2021
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of coronaversary like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of coronaversary that will help our users expand their word mastery.