What term describes the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence?

The term for the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence is semiquincentennial.

The word combines Latin-derived elements associated with half of five hundred, producing a term for a 250-year anniversary. America250 is the public-facing name of the national commemoration, while “United States Semiquincentennial” is the formal historical label commonly used for the milestone.

The anniversary falls on July 4, 2026, exactly 250 years after the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Related terms include quarter millennium and sestercentennial, though semiquincentennial is the principal term used in the event’s formal name.

A bicentennial marks 200 years, as in the 1976 United States Bicentennial. A sesquicentennial marks 150 years, and a tricentennial marks 300 years. Those terms are therefore not interchangeable with America250’s 250-year milestone.