half-century

Meanings

nounhalf-century (plural half-centuries)

A period of fifty years, half of a century.
The Dutch population has grown rapidly in the last half-century and its increase has been matched by an expansion of industry, with the result that the same period has seen the Netherlands develop from a mainly agricultural to an industrial country.
1962 March, J. M. Tolson, “The Netherlands Railways today—I: The economic development of the Netherlands Railways”, in Modern Railways, page 170
Synonyms: half a century, semicentury, semicentennial
ball gamesA score of 50 runs by a single batsman in one innings
He brought up his half-century with a powerful drive past offspinner Dan Cullen, whose seven overs cost 0-52.
2009 January 30, AAP, “Vics make great start despite Rogers loss”, in Herald Sun
hobbiesA score of 50 points in a single game.
Selby's charge continued with a half-century in the 30th frame and a fluked red set him on the way to winning the 31st frame.
2023 May 1, Steve Sutcliffe, “World Snooker Championship 2023 final: Luca Brecel beats Mark Selby for first world title”, in BBC Sport

nounA period of fifty years, half of a century.

Esperanto duoncentjaro

Estonian poolsajand

French demi-siècle

Hebrew יובל

Irish leathchéad

Japanese 半世紀

Korean 반세기

Polish półwiecze

Swedish halvsekel

Ukrainian півстолі́ття

Cite this entry

APA

half-century. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/half-century

MLA

“half-century.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/half-century. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “half-century,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/half-century.