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.
My family had been members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a medieval-era living history organization.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
The fighters were members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a worldwide organization whose members share an affinity for pre-1600s life.
From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2018
Anachronism, done well and wittingly, brings with it a cautionary kick, alerting us to the fact that the drama we’re watching, though steeped in the period, is not quite of the period.
From The New Yorker • Nov. 16, 2018
Barclay was a longtime and active member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, according to the group’s president, John Fulton.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 10, 2018
Anachronism, driven in disgrace out of the back door, re-enters in triumph through the front.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
