Found 8 stronger alternatives to upgrade your writing.
School level
Nuance: School level
Use when year means a school level (like 4th grade).
Boring
By the end of the year, we were counting down the days until summer break.
Better
By the end of the grade, we were counting down the days until summer break.
Time in office/role
Nuance: Service period
Use when year means a period in office/role (term 1, term 2).
Boring
During her first year as class president, she started a lunch clean-up schedule that actually worked.
Better
During her first term as class president, she started a lunch clean-up schedule that actually worked.
Sports/theater cycle
Nuance: Sports/entertainment
Use for sports, TV, or theater schedules.
Boring
This year, the team won eight games and finally made the playoffs.
Better
This season, the team won eight games and finally made the playoffs.
General stretch of time
Nuance: Time span
Use when year means a stretch of time, not specifically 12 months.
Boring
During that year, the library was closed for repairs, so we studied at the cafe instead.
Better
During that period, the library was closed for repairs, so we studied at the cafe instead.
Recurring process
Nuance: Recurring process
Use for repeating processes like elections or application cycles.
Boring
During election year, ads filled every commercial break and even popped up on podcasts.
Better
During the election cycle, ads filled every commercial break and even popped up on podcasts.
Time between events
Nuance: Gap
Use when emphasizing the gap between two events.
Boring
We waited a full year before applying again, even though it felt slow at the time.
Better
We waited a full interval before applying again, even though it felt slow at the time.
Per year (financial/formal)
Nuance: Formal/Latin
Used mainly in finance/legal writing.
Boring
The contract states the salary as $50,000 per year, paid in equal monthly deposits.
Better
The contract states the salary as $50,000 per annum, paid in equal monthly deposits.
Old-fashioned/literary year
Nuance: Old-fashioned
Old-fashioned or literary; use sparingly.
Boring
It has been a full year since we last spoke, and the silence still feels strange.
Better
It has been a full twelvemonth since we last spoke, and the silence still feels strange.