bimonthly

7 synonyms for bimonthly, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Adjective — Happening once every two months.

Synonyms

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

every two months every other month bimestrial semimonthly semi-monthly twice a month fortnightly

Synonyms by Meaning

1. adjective

Happening once every two months.

“The committee holds bimonthly meetings, in January, March and May.”

every two months every other month bimestrial semimonthly

2. adjective

Happening twice a month. This second, opposite sense is well established in usage, which is why the word is genuinely ambiguous and often avoided.

“The magazine's bimonthly issues land on the 1st and the 15th.”

semi-monthly twice a month fortnightly

3. adverb

On either of those schedules; once every two months, or twice a month.

“Dividends are paid bimonthly.”

semimonthly

How to use bimonthly

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

bimonthly meeting bimonthly journal bimonthly payments bimonthly newsletter

Neutral, but avoid it in contracts, invoices and schedules. Write 'every two months' or 'twice a month' instead.

Etymology

From the Latin prefix bi- 'two' plus monthly. The prefix can mean either 'every two' or 'twice', which is the source of the ambiguity.

Full origin of bimonthly →

Frequently asked questions

Does bimonthly mean twice a month or every two months?

Both meanings are in genuine use and dictionaries record both, so the word cannot be relied on. Style guides recommend replacing it with 'every two months' or 'twice a month' whenever the difference matters, such as in a payment schedule.

What is the difference between bimonthly and semi-monthly?

Semi-monthly is unambiguous: it means twice a month. Bimonthly may mean twice a month or once every two months. If you want the twice-a-month meaning, semi-monthly is the safer word.

What is the difference between biannual and biennial?

Biannual means twice a year, and biennial means once every two years. Biennial is the reliable one; biannual is sometimes misused for the two-year sense, so spell it out if precision matters.

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