anachronism
Americannoun
-
something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time.
The sword is an anachronism in modern warfare.
-
an error in chronology in which a person, object, event, etc., is assigned a date or period other than the correct one.
To assign Michelangelo to the 14th century is an anachronism.
noun
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the representation of an event, person, or thing in a historical context in which it could not have occurred or existed
-
a person or thing that belongs or seems to belong to another time
she regards the Church as an anachronism
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anachronism
1640–50; < Latin anachronismus < Greek anachronismós a wrong time reference, equivalent to anachron ( ízein ) to make a wrong time reference ( see ana-, chron-, -ize) + -ismos -ism
Explanation
An anachronism is something that doesn't fit its time period, like if you say you'll "dial" your smartphone. Anachronism comes from the Greek roots ana- which means "against" and chron- which means "time." Together they represent a situation in which something happens that should not because it belongs to another time period. You see anachronisms all the time in the movies — they occur when you see a jet fly over a Civil War battle! Or knights jousting over a maiden during the time of Shakespeare!
Vocabulary lists containing anachronism
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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It's About Time: Chron and Temp
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The Handmaid's Tale
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I’ve long sympathized with the argument that a large U.S. commitment to the European theater is an anachronism in our security posture, a throwback to 20th-century geopolitics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Their opposition to transportation projects and other infrastructure, though supposedly grounded in Jeffersonian principle, was a roundabout way of retarding industrial development and ensuring that slavery did not become an economic anachronism.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2025
"Sick sport shooting of magnificent animals is an anachronism in today;s world," he said.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2024
The notion of a TV schedule where viewers are compelled to make an appointment to watch shows has almost become an anachronism in the age of streaming video on demand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2024
The leather flight jacket was an anachronism in 1962.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
