What does annual mean?
Annual is an adjective describing something that happens, is performed, or is produced once each year. It is ubiquitous in professional and financial language — annual reports, annual meetings, annual income, and annual leave are all standard fixtures of organizational life. The word also has a second, botanical meaning as a noun: an annual is a plant that completes its whole life cycle within a single year, sprouting, flowering, seeding, and dying before the season ends, in contrast to perennials, which return year after year. Derived from the Latin annus, meaning 'year,' annual shares its root with words such as anniversary and annuity. Its most common confusions are with biannual, which means twice a year rather than once, and biennial, which means every two years. Because these near-neighbors differ subtly but importantly, precision matters: choosing the wrong term can double or halve the frequency an event actually occurs.
Occurring, done, or published once every year.
"The festival is an annual event held each August."
Often used attributively before nouns (annual report, annual budget) rather than predicatively.
A plant that completes its entire life cycle within one year or growing season.
"Basil is grown as an annual in temperate climates."
Chiefly used in horticultural and botanical contexts; contrasted with perennial and biennial plants.
Used when referring to multiple annual plants; the adjective form does not have a plural.
"She planted a bed of colorful annuals along the front path."
The word 'annual' traces straight back to Latin 'annus' — the same root that gives us 'anniversary,' which literally means 'turning of the year.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of annual
Annual derives from the Latin annus, meaning 'year,' which itself stems from an ancient Indo-European root related to the cycle of seasons. The adjective entered English via Old French in the medieval period, carrying the sense of something recurring yearly. Cognate English words from the same Latin root include anniversary (literally 'the turning of the year'), annuity (an annual payment), and biennial, which extends the idea to two-year intervals.
Related word forms
How annual is actually used
In everyday use, 'annual' as an adjective is neutral in register and appears constantly in business, finance, and administrative contexts. In gardening, the noun 'annual' contrasts with 'perennial' (living several years) and 'biennial' (two-year life cycle); note that 'biannual' (twice a year) is easily confused with 'biennial' (every two years), so writers should choose carefully.
Easily confused with annual
Biannual means occurring twice a year, whereas annual means occurring only once a year.
Biennial means occurring every two years (or, for plants, taking two years to complete a life cycle), while annual means yearly.