What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Era vs Century - What's the difference?

era | century |

As nouns the difference between era and century

is that era is a time period of indeterminate length, generally more than one year while century is a period of 100 consecutive years; often specifically a numbered period with conventional start and end dates, e.g., the twentieth century, which stretches from (strictly) 1901 through 2000, or (informally) 1900 through 1999. The first century AD was from 1 to 100; a yearhundred.

era

English

Alternative forms

* (archaic)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A time period of indeterminate length, generally more than one year.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
  • , chapter=6 citation , passage=Even in an era when individuality in dress is a cult, his clothes were noticeable. He was wearing a hard hat of the low round kind favoured by hunting men, and with it a black duffle-coat lined with white.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2012-01
  • , author=Philip E. Mirowski , title=Harms to Health from the Pursuit of Profits , volume=100, issue=1, page=87 , magazine= citation , passage=In an era when political leaders promise deliverance from decline through America’s purported preeminence in scientific research, the news that science is in deep trouble in the United States has been as unwelcome as a diagnosis of leukemia following the loss of health insurance.}}
  • (geology) A unit of time, smaller than .
  • Synonyms

    * (time period of indeterminate length) age, epoch, period * See also

    Derived terms

    * (geological time unit)

    Coordinate terms

    *

    Anagrams

    * ----

    century

    Noun

    (centuries)
  • A period of 100 consecutive years; often specifically'' a numbered period with conventional start and end dates, e.g., the ''twentieth century'', which stretches from (''strictly'') 1901 through 2000, or (''informally'') 1900 through 1999. The ''first century AD was from 1 to 100; a yearhundred.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)
  • , title=(The China Governess), chapter=Foreword citation , passage=He stood transfixed before the unaccustomed view of London at night time, a vast panorama which reminded him […] of some wood engravings far off and magical, in a printshop in his childhood. They dated from the previous century and were coarsely printed on tinted paper, with tinsel outlining the design.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= The attack of the MOOCs , passage=Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.}}
  • A unit in ancient Roman army, originally of 100 army soldiers as part of a cohort, later of more varied sizes (but typically containing 60 to 70 or 80) soldiers or other men (guards, police, firemen), commanded by a centurion.
  • A political division of ancient Rome, meeting in the Centuriate Assembly.
  • (archaic)  A hundred things; a hundred.
  • *, II.4.2.i:
  • 'tis the subject of whole books: I might cite a century of authors pro'' and ''con .
  • (cricket)  A hundred runs scored either by a single player in one innings, or by two players in a partnership.
  • (cycling)  A ride 100 kilometres in length.
  • (US, informal)  A banknote in the denomination of one hundred dollars.
  • Synonyms

    * yearhundred (very rare) * (Roman army unit) centuria

    Derived terms

    * centuried * century break