annual
ANNUAL meaning: something that happens yearly; the six-letter word scores 6 Scrabble points and has one one-letter neighbor, ANNEAL.
Adjective 4 meanings
Happening once every year.
“an annual general meeting; an annual publication”
Of, for, or relating to a whole year, often as a recurring cycle; determined or reckoned by the year; accumulating in the course of a year; performed, executed, or completed over the course of a year. See also circannual.
“an annual salary; average annual profits; the annual course of the sun”
Having a life cycle that is completed in only one growing season, e.g., beans, corn, marigold. See Annual plant in Wikipedia. Compare biennial, perennial.
Living or lasting just one season or year, as certain insects or insect colonies.
Noun 4 meanings
An annual publication; a book, periodical, journal, report, comic book, yearbook, etc., which is published serially once a year, which may or may not be in addition to regular weekly or monthly publication.
“I read the magazine, but I usually don't purchase the annuals.”
An annual plant; a plant with a life span of just one growing season; a plant which naturally germinates, flowers and dies in one year. Compare biennial, perennial.
“I can't wait to plant my annuals in the spring.”
A medical checkup taking place once a year.
A pantomime taking place once a year.
Etymology
First attested around 1382, borrowed from Late Latin annuālem, annuālis, related to Latin annālis, adjective form of annus (“year”). Used to categorize plants since 1710.
Similar and opposite words
ANNUAL is a familiar word for things that recur each year, from reports to events. It also names a plant that completes its life cycle in one growing season. Its corpus frequency count is 5,474, with a rank of 1,172, so this is common vocabulary rather than an obscure rack-filler.
ANNUAL at a glance
- ANNUAL has six letters and scores 6 points in Scrabble.
- All six tiles are worth 1 point each; A and N each appear twice.
- ANNUAL has no anagrams in the supported word-game vocabulary.
- ANNEAL is its sole one-letter neighbor.
What does ANNUAL mean?
ANNUAL means happening once each year. The word also describes a publication or event that appears yearly, such as a report, journal, or yearbook.
In botany, an annual is a plant that germinates, flowers, and dies within one growing season. That distinguishes it from a biennial, which takes two years to complete its life cycle, and a perennial, which lives for more than two years.
The meanings share a clear thread: ANNUAL marks a one-year cycle, whether the subject is a publication schedule or a plant’s lifespan.
ANNUAL meaning, score, and sound
ANNUAL scores 6 points in standard Scrabble before any premium squares. A, N, N, U, A, and L each contribute 1 point, so the word’s value comes from placing its tiles well rather than from a costly letter.
ANNEAL is the only word one letter away: its E replaces ANNUAL’s U. That close spelling is worth checking before you play, because the two words are not interchangeable.
The shared ending “ual” gives ANNUAL 12 rhymes, including ACTUAL, EQUAL, USUAL, and MUTUAL. Those familiar examples make the sound pattern easier to spot, while the word’s several meanings all point back to a yearly cycle.
Rhymes with annual
All rhymesOne letter away
- ANNEAL6
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