Definition of ANACHRONISM

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An anachronism is something that is out of place in terms of time or chronology. The word derives from chronos, the Greek word for "time," and ana-, a Greek prefix meaning "up," "back," or "again." When it was first used in English in the 17th century, anachronism referred to an error in the dating of something (as, for example, in etymology, when a word or use is mistakenly assumed to have arisen earlier than it did). Anachronisms were sometimes distinguished from parachronisms, chronological errors in which dates are set later than is correct. But parachronism did not stand the test of time. It is now a very rare word.

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 Some like to dismiss her as a stodgy anachronism, in her sensible shoes and with her sensible handbags. — William Booth, Washington Post, "How Megxit put Queen Elizabeth II in the role of crisis manager once again," 15 Jan. 2020 In a world awash with on-demand data, NSF realized that its biennial report, titled Science and Engineering Indicators, was an anachronism. — Jeffrey Mervis, Science | AAAS, "NSF rolls out huge makeover of science statistics," 15 Jan. 2020 Who has the harder job: a Disney producer assigned to the Star Wars franchise or a Ford engineer tasked with creating the new Bronco? Successfully modernizing a timeless classic means running a razor-thin line between blasphemy and anachronism. — Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, "2021 Ford Bronco: Get the Inside Story Before the Official Reveal," 9 Jan. 2020 The Corvette is seen too often as an anachronism or a sad totem of mid-life crises. — Dan Carney, Popular Science, "The Corvette is finally the supercar it deserves to be," 2 Jan. 2020 Without resorting to self-conscious anachronism or fussy antiquarianism, Gerwig has fashioned a story that feels at once entirely true to its 19th-century origins and utterly modern. — New York Times, "‘Little Women’ Review: This Movie Is Big," 23 Dec. 2019 More deliberate anachronisms pile up until Harris judges that the misdirection has served its purpose. — John Wilson, National Review, "A Post-Apocalyptic Tale with a Twist," 5 Dec. 2019 But nationally, with a groundswell of political momentum growing out of the California Legislature for college athletes to be able to profit from their name, image and likeness, Swinney comes off like an anachronism. — J. Brady Mccollough, chicagotribune.com, "Clemson’s Dabo Swinney makes $9.3 million a year but doesn’t think players should be paid. Why?," 7 Oct. 2019 Calla Kessler/The New York Times In the age of e-commerce, Black Friday can feel like an anachronism. — New York Times, "Black Friday 2019: What You Need to Know," 29 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anachronism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.