chronicle
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
- chronicler noun
- unchronicled adjective
Etymology
Origin of chronicle
1275–1325; Middle English cronicle < Anglo-French, variant, with -le -ule, of Old French cronique < Medieval Latin cronica (feminine singular), Latin chronica (neuter plural) < Greek chroniká annals, chronology; chronic
Explanation
To chronicle an event is to record it as it happens, and a chronicle is a record of those events. If your grandmother took the time to chronicle the details of her 1910 journey to Japan, you can read her chronicle today. To chronicle something is to describe past or current events. Chronicle is related to chronological and comes from the Greek ta khronika, which means “annals of time.” Events are usually chronicled in the order in which they occurred. The noun chronicle is a record of things that happened — told in chronological order, like the diary you kept in elementary school. It is a chronicle of those years.
Vocabulary lists containing chronicle
It's About Time: Chron and Temp
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"The Gift of the Magi"
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The Skin I'm In
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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.
Licence re-examined the chronicle, which survives today in nine manuscript editions, alongside other 11th Century sources, to correct an error he said was popularised by the Victorians.
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026
Mr. Mulla’s chronicle of the yearslong drama adds up to an exceptional feat of investigative research.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
But “Junglekeeper” is not a roadmap to success; it’s a chronicle of a halting, difficult, thrilling and wholly unrepeatable quest to save the forest Mr. Rosolie loves.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
That rugged punk rock intensity would later unify the vast, synth-laden sprawl that is her second album, “Día”: a chronicle of her displacement during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent ego death.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025
It’s a chronicle of a life: Bubbe’s life?
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
