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.
Chronological age measures how many years a person has lived, but biological age reflects how well the body is functioning.
From Science Daily • May 12, 2026
Chronological tracing may poke holes in this thesis, admittedly.
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2025
Chronological age is only one way to define the beginning of midlife.
From Washington Post • Feb. 27, 2022
Chronological order: information or a narrative presented in time order, from earliest to most recent.
From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021
In 1843 Dr. Jarvis went to England, with a view to certain arrangements in connection with the publication of his Chronological Introduction, and returned in time for the General Convention of 1844.
From The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 2, May, 1851 by Various
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.
