chronology

American  

[kruh-nol-uh-jee] / krəˈnɒl ə dʒi /

noun

• chronologies
  plural

1. the sequential order in which past events occur.

2. a statement of this order.

3. the science of arranging time in periods and ascertaining the dates and historical order of past events.

4. a reference work organized according to the dates of events.

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chronology British  

/ krəˈnɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the determination of the proper sequence of past events

2. the arrangement of dates, events, etc, in order of occurrence

3. a table or list of events arranged in order of occurrence

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• chronologist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chronologies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of chronology

First recorded in 1585–95; chrono- + -logy

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Explanation

A chronology is like a timeline: it tells what happened when. A chronology of your day would begin when you wake up and end when you go to sleep. Hopefully, something interesting happened in between. Khronos is the Greek word for "time" and that's where chronology comes from. If a movie has a lot of flashbacks or doesn't tell a story straight through from beginning to end, you might have to give it some thought in order to put together a chronology of events. If you are a detective, a correct chronology could be important to solving your case.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chronology chronologies

The BBC's investigation reveals for the first time a detailed chronology of attacks on healthcare during the long siege of the city.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

This result has important implications for understanding the site's chronology because it provides an additional dating reference for the ancient complex.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

It is also a beautiful book, complete with notes, photographs and a chronology to guide readers through the dense entanglements of expatriate Paris and the particulars of the bullfighting arena.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

There had been a trend in museum science away from this, and away from straight chronology.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026

The files on the murders of the Osage contained history in its rawest form: bits of data vacuumed up without any chronology or narrative, like a novel whose pages were out of order.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

"Our study is a reminder that the oldest chronologies must be treated with great caution," explains Sahra Talamo, professor at the University of Bologna and co-coordinator of the study.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2026

“Salesman” is more limber in its dramaturgy, shifting locations and blurring chronologies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

In the wake of their headline-grabbing Vinland success, the Groningen team is tackling another alluring set of historical puzzles: “floating” chronologies, or ancient, internally consistent timelines that are untethered to specific dates.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 13, 2023

We now have dozens of chronologies of hurricane activity at different locations — including New England, the Florida Gulf Coast, the Florida Keys and Belize — that reveal decade- to century-scale patterns in hurricane frequency.

From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2022

Indians in the northern Great Plains kept “winter counts,” oral chronologies of the most important events in each year.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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Related Words

• age
• date
• day
• era
• future
• generation
• hour
• life
• moment
• month
• occasion
• pace
• past
• point
• present
• season
• second
• space
• stage
• term

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