chronology

noun

chro·​nol·​o·​gy krə-ˈnä-lə-jē 

plural chronologies

1

: the science that deals with measuring time by regular divisions and that assigns to events their proper dates

2

: a chronological table, list, or account

a chronology of the author's works

3

: an arrangement (as of events) in order of occurrence

reconstruct the chronology of the trip

The book provides a chronology of events leading up to the American Civil War.

Did you know?

History is much more than a simple chronology of events, but keeping events in chronological order is the first essential step in thinking about it. When, for example, historians try to show how World War I prepared the way for World War II, tracking the chronology of the events in the years between the two wars can help in explaining a complicated historical era.

Synonyms

• account
• chronicle
• commentary
• commentaries
• history
• narration
• narrative
• record
• report
• story

Examples of chronology in a Sentence

We tried to reconstruct the chronology of the accident.

The book provides a chronology of the events leading up to the American Civil War.

Recent Examples on the Web

David Meyer Correction, April 3, 2024: This article was updated to correct information about the chronology of Intel’s rollout of EUV technology and to clarify the reported value of Intel’s Microsoft deal. —David Meyer, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024

Here’s a chronology of key events in Haiti’s modern political history, leading up to the ongoing crisis. —Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024

The series release order does not follow the story’s chronology — 2006’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is set later than the next three movies that were released. —Adam England, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024

The Second Renaissance, Part I and Part II are the earliest entries in the franchise’s chronology, setting the scene for what's to come. —Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024

Researchers have since identified ten major carbon-14 spikes, now known as Miyake events, in tree ring chronologies. —Kim Beil, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024

Overcomplicated chronology is now a cliché of modern TV storytelling, but a good potboiler knows how to put a cliché to good use. —Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024

Villeneuve, smartly wanting to keep the magnetic Lady Jessica center stage, condenses the original chronology; the second film picks up shortly after the events of the first. —Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024

The chronology of this resort southeast of Tampa-St. Petersburg might be regarded a fitting reflection on the growth of RVing across the Southeast this decade. —Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin chronologia, from chrono- chrono- + -logia -logy

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

chronology

noun

chro·​nol·​o·​gy krə-ˈnäl-ə-jē 

plural chronologies

1

: the science that deals with measuring time and dating events

2

: a chronological table or list

chronologist

-jəst

noun