century
gb/sˈɛnt͡ʃɚi/ us/sˈɛnt͡ʃɚi/
A2
English
~ 500
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
quantity
1
a 100-year time span
A time period of 100 years.
Usage pattern:
[a/the] century
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'century' with 'decade', which is only 10 years.
Synonyms
hundred years (Exact equivalent but less formal and less commonly used in historical contexts.)
Antonyms
decade (Refers to a period of ten years, the opposite in scale.)
Collocations
turn of the century
|21st century
|centuries ago
|early 20th century
|mid-century
Themes
history
|time
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The 20th century saw rapid technological change.
- Many traditions date back several centuries.
- The building was constructed in the 18th century.
- We are living in the 21st century.
- The turn of the century brought new challenges.
Learner examples
- The 20th century started in 1901.
- People lived very differently a century ago.
- We are now in the 21st century.
- A century has 100 years.
- The city is more than one century old.
Noun
B2
entity
2
100 runs scored in cricket
In cricket, when one player scores 100 runs in one turn at batting.
Common mistake:
Non-cricket fans may think 'century' here means 100 years instead of 100 runs.
Synonyms
hundred (Informal shorthand for scoring 100 runs in cricket.)
Antonyms
duck (In cricket, scoring zero runs in an innings.)
Collocations
score a century
|hit a century
|make a century
Themes
sports
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He scored his third century of the season.
- The crowd cheered as she reached her century.
- Scoring a century is a major achievement for any batsman.
Learner examples
- He scored a century in the match.
- She made her first century last year.
- A player gets a century when they score 100 runs.
Grammar
Dictionary form
century
IPA
GB/sˈɛnt͡ʃɚi/
US/sˈɛnt͡ʃɚi/
Syllables & stress
cen - tury (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (cen)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: century
- Plural: centuries
Word family
Forms
centuries
noun
Related words
centennial
adjective
centenary
noun
Advanced or less common
centenarian
noun
bicentennial
adjective
Expressions
centuries ago
1/sˈɛnt͡ʃɚiz əɡˈoʊ/
fixed phrase
a very long time ago (hundreds of years)
A time many hundreds of years before now.
Examples
- This castle was built centuries ago.
- Centuries ago, people traveled by horse and carriage.
quarter-century
1/kwˈɔɹtɚ sˈɛnt͡ʃɚi/
fixed phrase
a time span of 25 years
A period of twenty-five years.
Examples
- He worked there for over a quarter-century.
- The company is celebrating a quarter-century in business.
turn of the century
1/tˈɚn əv ðə sˈɛnt͡ʃɚi/
fixed phrase
time when one century ends and another begins
The time when one hundred-year period ends and the next begins.
Examples
- Many new inventions appeared around the turn of the century.
- She was born at the turn of the 19th century.