We often find terms and words that we could get confused about or even stop what we are doing at the moment just to think if these terms have the same meaning. Words such as “Yearly” and “Annual” can be the perfect example if you have this dilemma.
When used as an adjective, “Annual” and “Yearly” have the same meaning. Although these terms tilt to mean the same, they may also have different connotations. The difference will always be if you’re using them as an adjective, a noun, or an adverb.
“Annual” and “yearly” are words we often confuse, and it shouldn’t be a problem since these terms may have the same meaning, but some “restrictions” apply since it will always depend on the context and how we are using the words.
We should take notice the words “annual” and “yearly” may have different connotations if we use them as an adjective, a noun, or an adverb. That’s why after we expand about “yearly” and “annual,” we will bring you the definitions, differences, and some examples about adjectives, nouns, and adverbs for us to understand these terms better.
Annual
Etymology Of Annual
The word “Annual” comes from the Late Latin word “annualis,” then evolved from the old French word “annuel,” which means “yearly.”
Definition Of Annual
The meaning of the word “Annual” will always depend on the context. Also, it is good to know it could be used as an adjective or as a noun.
As an adjective, annual means something that happens once every year. The meaning of the word “Annual” is related to a whole year, a recurring cycle, or something accumulated in the course of a year.
As a noun, annual means something posted or published serially once a year, such as calendars, almanacs, directories, yearbooks, annual reports, some comic books, the anniversary of a person’s death, etc.
Some grammar experts say this word cannot be described as “annual” if it hasn’t been held in at least two consecutive years.
Example Of The Word “Annual” As An Adjective
- “In the interview, they told me I would be receiving an annual salary.”
- “Some ancient cultures and religions were following the annual course of the sun.”
- “My grandma has several annual plants.”
Example Of The Word “Annual” As A Noun
- “I read the magazine, but I usually don’t purchase the annuals.”
- “Monica went to the library to learn more about the annuals.”
- “If you need to know more about his culture, you should read the annuals.”
How To Use “Annual” In A Sentence?
Now, based on the definitions and the examples provided above, we will share how to use the word “Annual” in a sentence:
- ” I had a great time meeting with my family at my aunt’s annual.”
- “The principal was reading the annual reports out loud in front of the whole class.”
- “She told me the annual reunion would be held in December.”
- “The manager showed the annual report which has a good profit for the year.”
- “The Amazon River has the highest annual rainfall in the world.
- “Almost all the kids in our class will have their annual vacation abroad.”
- “The annual MLB season is held from March through October.”
- “We always go to the annual rock festivals. They are the best.”
- “The annual conference will be held in Las Vegas, but it will be in Los Angeles next year.”
- “He is the president and has an annual income of $200,000.”
Yearly
Definition Of “Yearly”
The word “Yearly” also depends on if you’re using it as an adjective or a noun.
As an adjective, it has the same meaning as “Annual,” which is something that happens once in a year, for example, “yearly bonus” or “yearly subscription.”
As a noun, it means to publish or post something once a year, but it doesn’t have to be serially posted once in a year as it happens with the word “annual.” It means “Yearly” as a noun doesn’t have to happen precisely every 365 days but inside the span of 365 days of a year.
Another important point to have in mind is that the word “Yearly” is an adverb with the meaning “every year” or “once a year.”
Word Vs Word Posts
How To Use “Yearly” In A Sentence?
- “I always go to the doctor yearly.”
- “The flower show is a yearly event in Medellin.”
- “This comic book is issued twice yearly.”
- “I pay a subscription of 10 dollars yearly.”
- “As usual, the yearly audit will take place in January.”
- “In my country, the government sets a yearly budget for health care.”
- “Monica told me they drain the water heater yearly in her home.”
- “The Yankees have the highest yearly budget in the whole league.”
- “This property value increases yearly.”
- “The yearly maintenance fees are from $200 to $300.”
Annual Vs Yearly
The main difference between “Annual” & “Yearly” is that the word “annual” is used in the function “pertaining to the year,” and it is more used as an adjective than “yearly,” while “yearly” is used in the function “once in a year,” and” is used more as an adverb.
Also, “yearly” will always be connected with the verb used in the sentence. For example:
- “She pays the amount yearly.”
- “She performed there yearly.”
Also, as mentioned above, “Yearly” is an adverb with the meaning “every year” or “once a year.” but the word “annual” can’t be an adverb since the adverb would be “Annually” instead of “annual.”
Now that we have a clearer understanding of “Yearly” and “Annual,” we want to develop and explain the terms we have mentioned before, such as nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc. These terms are essential if we want to better understand the words “yearly” and “annual.”
What Is A Noun?
We use nouns every time we write, but we may not understand what a noun is or how we should use them according to the different types of nouns.
A noun is a word that names something, such as a person, a place, a thing, or an idea.
For example, it could be a person:
- Lebron James
- The president
- A sister
- A boy
- A Doctor
It could also be a place:
- The Mount Everest
- The airport
- Las Vegas.
- My bedroom
- Your house
Nouns can also name things or an idea (something you can’t actually touch):
- A shirt
- The keys
- Freedom
- Basketball
- A lightsaber
What Is A Pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun—for example, he, she, it, they, someone, who, etc.
Example of how a pronoun can play the role of a noun:
- When Luke Skywalker took the lightsaber, he was eager to fight. (Noun)
- When he took it, he was eager to fight (pronoun)
Nouns and pronouns can play different roles in a sentence. They can be a subject, direct object, indirect object, etc.
What Is An Adjective?
An Adjective is when you describe or modify nouns and pronouns, they may also name qualities of all kinds, for example:
- Huge
- Angry
- Unique
- Tremendous
- Red, etc.
It is good to know an adjective comes right before a noun, for example:
- A red lightsaber.
In this sentence, we can see the adjective “Red” before the noun “lightsaber.”
What Is An Adverb?
An adverb is a word that describes or modifies a verb or an adjective and often ends in “ly,” for example:
- Yearly
- Annually
- Quickly
- Loudly
- Quietly
Final Thoughts
We understand some words have the same meaning, but at the same time, they may not mean the same if we use them as an adjective, a noun, or an adverb. So what should we do to stop the confusion? We should take notes, do our own research, and understand the context to comprehend the difference between yearly and annual better.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.