decennial

adjective

de·​cen·​ni·​al di-ˈse-nē-əl 

1

: consisting of or lasting for 10 years

2

: occurring or being done every 10 years

the decennial census

decennial noun

decennially

di-ˈse-nē-ə-lē 

adverb

Examples of decennial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To address the structure of the legislature, the proposal would tie the size of the General Assembly to the state’s population as determined by the decennial census, with one state Senate seat per 215,000 residents, rounded down to the nearest odd number. —Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025

Article 4, Section 5 of the Indiana Constitution limits redistricting of Indiana's maps for the state legislature to the year or two after the decennial census. —The Npr Network, NPR, 14 Aug. 2025

And a map was passed, and it was done at the end of the census, the decennial census. —NBC news, 10 Aug. 2025

Redistricting is an exercise that state legislatures participate in after the decennial census, accounting for population shifts across the country, and doing so in the years between a census is rare. —Fritz Farrow, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for decennial

• biennial
• centennial
• millennial
• perennial
• quadrennial
• quinquennial
• triennial
• bicentennial
• sesquicentennial

Kids Definition

decennial

adjective

de·​cen·​ni·​al di-ˈsen-ē-əl 

1

: consisting of 10 years

2

: happening every 10 years

decennial census

decennially

-ē-ə-lē 

adverb