chronicle

1 of 2

noun

chron·​i·​cle ˈkrä-ni-kəl How to pronounce chronicle (audio)
1
: a historical account of events arranged in order of time usually without analysis or interpretation
a chronicle of the Civil War
2
: narrative sense 1
a chronicle of the struggle against drug traffickers

chronicle

2 of 2

verb

chronicled; chronicling ˈkrä-ni-k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce chronicle (audio)

transitive verb

: to present a record of in or as if in a chronicle
chronicle Victorian society
chronicle the doings of the rich and famous
chronicler noun

Examples of chronicle in a Sentence

Noun a chronicle of the American Civil War a chronicle of the President's years in office Verb The book chronicles the events that led to the American Civil War. She intends to chronicle the broad social changes that have occurred in this part of the country. a magazine that chronicles the lives of the rich and famous
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
This two-part documentary chronicles Bob Dylan’s rise to fame. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024 Hayakawa turned to the Songshi, a Chinese historical chronicle of the Song dynasty that includes a section on astronomical observations made between 960 to 1279 C.E. Kim Beil, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 What began as a chronicle of Batiste’s attempt to write a symphony capturing America in all its contradictions and complexity, turned into a document of love, faith and perseverance as well. Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2024 Then — all of which chronicle her love life, particularly her relationship with actor Ben Affleck, both in its original form and its rekindled status in recent years. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 15 Feb. 2024 This autobiographical tour-de-force chronicles August Wilson’s days as a struggling young writer. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 30 Jan. 2024 Boyles had partnered with the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit that promotes criminal justice reform and chronicles lynchings, to secure funding for the marker, but also needed the approval of local officials to place it on public property, at the Madison County Courthouse. Rachel Hatzipanagos, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024 Abbott Elementary's mockumentary-style chronicle of a Philadelphia public elementary school led to nominations for both James and Ralph. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 16 Jan. 2024 The upcoming documentary chronicles the life and work of Ernest Cole, one of the first Black freelance photographers in South Africa, whose early pictures showed Black life under apartheid. Brent Lang, Variety, 12 Feb. 2024
Verb
The premiere sets the clock ticking from the day of Lincoln’s death, and chronicles Stanton’s 12-day chase over seven hour-long episodes. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 Josette Molland, who chronicled the terrors of the Nazi camp at Ravensbrück in folk-art style paintings, has died at 100. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 There was so much paparazzi [chronicling] my clients’ every move. Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 After chronicling their perilous and frightening 45-day voyage, the author goes on to describe the sale of the 103 survivors of the journey to various enslavers in Alabama, their five years of bondage, and their hardscrabble lives following emancipation. Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 2024 The court’s decision comes less than three weeks after The Post chronicled the family’s struggle to obtain a birth certificate for their son. Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 The three-hour film, which is semi-trippy and flashback heavy, chronicles the trials and tribulations of the secret Manhattan Project's J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). Leanne Italie, Quartz, 2 Mar. 2024 Mixing satirical comedy, battlefield brutality and personal tragedy, the film chronicles Napoleon Bonaparte's political and military victories at the same time as his volatile and somewhat toxic relationship with his wife Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024 In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he’s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chronicle.' 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

Noun

Middle English cronycle, borrowed from Anglo-French cronike, cronicle (-le perhaps by assimilation to words with the suffix -icle, as article article entry 1), borrowed from Latin chronica "book of annals," borrowed from Greek () chroniká, (hai) chronikaí, from plural of chronikós "of time, temporal, in order by time" (with a noun such as biblía "books" or graphaí "writings" understood) — more at chronic

Verb

Middle English cronyclen, verbal derivative of cronycle chronicle entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chronicle was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near chronicle

Cite this Entry

“Chronicle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chronicle. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chronicle

1 of 2 noun
chron·​i·​cle ˈkrän-i-kəl How to pronounce chronicle (audio)
: an account of events in the order of their happening : history

chronicle

2 of 2 verb
chronicled; chronicling -k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce chronicle (audio)
: to present a record of in or as if in a chronicle
chronicle the major events of last year
chronicler noun
Etymology

Noun

Middle English cronicle "chronicle," from early French chronique (same meaning), derived from Greek chronikos, "of time," from chronos "time" — related to anachronism, chronic, synchronous

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