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.
His doctor, US Navy Captain Sean Barbabella, wrote in a letter released by the White House at the time that Trump's cardiac age "was found to be approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age."
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
Within the geographical and chronological categories are thematic sections dedicated to punk’s fight against fascism and racism, punk art and punk photography.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Investigators examined DNA methylation data from blood samples collected from 958 healthy participants whose average chronological age was 70.
From Science Daily • May 14, 2026
Watching these movies in chronological order affords viewers the opportunity to chart Tanaka’s progress behind the camera.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
She wondered if he was talking about publication order or chronological order, but asking seemed a bit too hoity-toity.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
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.
