chronological
Americanadjective
-
arranged in the order of time.
a chronological list of events.
-
pertaining to or in accordance with chronology.
a chronological process.
adjective
-
(esp of a sequence of events) arranged in order of occurrence
-
relating to or in accordance with chronology
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of chronological
First recorded in 1605–15; chronolog(y) + -ical
Explanation
If you’re making a list of all your teachers in the order you had them, from kindergarten right up to the present, you’re listing them in chronological order. Chronological is the order in which things actually happened. Chronological doesn’t allow for time traveling or flashbacks. If you’re making a documentary of events leading up to World War II and you start in the early 1900s and end at the outbreak of the war, in 1939, that’s chronological. Reverse chronological order means giving the most recent event first, and going backwards from there. Chronological includes the useful Greek root khronos, "time."
Vocabulary lists containing chronological
It's About Time: Chron and Temp
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Ides, Eon, Epoch, and Era: Time-related Words
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List 6
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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.
McElwee explains that the numbers on his film reels were mislabeled, causing extended confusion as they tried to put the footage back in the correct, chronological order.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
The molten material cools into glass, preserving chemical and chronological clues that scientists can use to estimate when the impact occurred.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
Klee’s mysterious, poetic range comes vividly to life in “Paul Klee: Other Possible Worlds,” a chronological survey of roughly 100 paintings, drawings and prints at the Jewish Museum through July 26.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
And in the huge market basement below will be galleries featuring permanent displays called Past Time, which will provide an overview of London's history through chronological and thematic displays.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Neither chronological nor alphabetical but it rarely varies, unless Ruth May gets distracted and falls out of line.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
