Definition of ANACHRONISMS (original) (raw)
1
: an error in chronology
especially : a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other
found several anachronisms in the movie
2
: a person or a thing that is chronologically out of place
especially : one from a former age that is incongruous in the present
By the time I reached my teens, the housewife was an anachronism, replaced on television by the perky, glamorous, character of That Girl, Marlo Thomas, who kept her boyfriend at bay in the interest of pursuing her acting career. —
Joyce Maynard
3
: the state or condition of being chronologically out of place
anachronistic
adjective
or less commonly anachronic
Did you know?
An anachronism is an error of chronology in which something, such as an object or event, is placed in the wrong time. Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar includes a famous anachronism, with Cassius alluding to a mechanical clock (“The clock hath stricken three”) in a play whose events take place more than a thousand years before mechanical clocks were invented. Anachronism has its roots in Greek chronos, “time,” and ana-, a Greek prefix meaning “up,” “back,” or “again.” Anachronisms historically were sometimes distinguished from parachronisms, chronology errors in which an event is placed later than it occurred. Both anachronism and parachronism (and also the latter’s now-obsolete synonym metachronism) date to the 17th century, but only anachronism has stood the test of time.
Examples of anachronism in a Sentence
In our modern world of pre-made, rush-rush, tightly scheduled lives, Amanda Blake Soule is an anachronism. At their home in coastal Maine, her family of six makes most of what they use—everything from bread and crafts to clothes and toys. —Jean Van't Hul, Mothering, March/April 2009 The spy thriller is a genre that arguably should have died fifteen years ago, and its continued popularity seems an anachronism at first glance. —Rand Richards Cooper, Commonweal, 14 Sept. 2007 With few exceptions, work opportunities for older people diminished after the Civil War as the United States metamorphosed into an urban-industrial order, inaugurating a second phase in the history of retirement. The village blacksmith became an anachronism as the craftsman retreated before the new mass-production industries. —W. Andrew Achenbaum, Wilson Quarterly, Spring 2006 But Shakespeare may have drifted into anachronism here. According to Rogers, food in France at the time of Agincourt was probably just as meaty and unsophisticated as it was in England. —Jonathan Ree, Prospect, August, 2003 It is true that in the closing years of the century William Jennings Bryan could still rise to national political leadership through his superb oratorical skills, but it is equally true that he lived to see himself become an anachronism, the bearer of a style redolent of an earlier culture. —Lawrence W. Levine, The Unpredictable Past, 1993
The novel is full of anachronisms. He's an old-fashioned politician who is seen by many of his colleagues as an anachronism.
Recent Examples on the Web Corman’s film is lush and packed with delightful, era-appropriate details that nicely offset the modern anachronisms. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2024 But then there are the wincing anachronisms, like an unspoken shame over a gay uncle. —Lori Gottlieb, The Atlantic, 29 July 2024 All of these anachronisms are reflected in the Constitution, not just in the treatment of race but in the structure of the government itself. —Sean Illing, Vox, 3 Aug. 2024 These anachronisms continually disrupt the fictional dream of this novel. —Samuel Ashworth, Washington Post, 24 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for anachronism 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anachronism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
probably from Middle Greek anachronismos, from anachronizesthai to be an anachronism, from Late Greek anachronizein to be late, from Greek ana- + chronos time
First Known Use
1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of anachronism was in 1617
Dictionary Entries Near anachronism
Cite this Entry
“Anachronism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anachronism. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
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Last Updated: 16 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences
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