chronicle

1 of 2

noun

chron·i·cle ˈkrä-ni-kəl

Synonyms of chronicle next

: a historical account of events arranged in order of time usually without analysis or interpretation

a chronicle of the Civil War

: narrative sense 1

a chronicle of the struggle against drug traffickers

chronicle

2 of 2

verb

chronicled; chronicling ˈkrä-ni-k(ə-)liŋ

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

ˈkrä-ni-k(ə-)lər

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

Once again, we’re led through the chronicle of a mutiny aboard the USS Caine, a Navy mine-sweeper patrolling the Persian Gulf — but a mutiny that may not, in fact, have been a mutiny. —

Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Sep. 2023 The father-daughter pair are promoting the new movie Wildcat, in which Ethan directs Maya as author Flannery O’Connor (A Good Man Is Hard To Find and Other Stories) in a chronicle of her attempt to get her first novel published. —

Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 6 Sep. 2023 Investigation Discovery’s The Murder Tapes chronicles homicide investigations using raw and unfiltered footage, including body-cam, surveillance and interrogation-room footage. —

Josie Howell | Jhowell@al.com, al, 22 Aug. 2023 Daniel Finkelstein’s family history is a chronicle of loss and survival through Hitler’s depredations—and Stalin’s too. —

Wsj Books Staff, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2023 Other permanent exhibits chronicle the city’s volunteer fire department, the fire of 1898 that destroyed some 200 buildings, and the territorial jail — which visitors can walk into. —

Palak Jayswal, The Salt Lake Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023 As Austerlitz chronicles, Savitch was a natural talent who seemed to effortlessly connect with the television audience. —

Kate Tuttle, Peoplemag, 29 Aug. 2023 Woodward's story is a chronicle of personal evolution and the embracing of change. —

Maria Williams, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2023 An additional clip chronicles the Atlanta Police Department detaining Chicago rapper Bosstop, an affiliate of Von’s who was celebrating his birthday at Monaco that night. —

Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2023

Verb

Dumb Money, the director Craig Gillespie’s new movie about the GameStop-stock craze, chronicles events that took place in January 2021: a surprising boom in the brick-and-mortar video-game retailer’s stock value that eventually created a mini-crisis on Wall Street. —

David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2023 Judt had publicly chronicled his struggle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, continuing to dictate his work until his death in 2010. —

Michael O’Donnell, WSJ, 22 Sep. 2023 Sign up for the daily digest chronicling the evolving media landscape here. —

Oliver Darcy, CNN, 21 Sep. 2023 The Latinx experience chronicled Get the Latinx Files newsletter for stories that capture the multitudes within our communities. —

Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023 The performance tour will be a combination of live music, theater, and video based on Alyokhina’s book, Riot Days, which chronicles her experience in the group, including their massive protests and days locked in prison. —

Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2023 Futher, the said the book’s lack of diverse voices, especially from someone who chronicled the rock music landscape for half a century, was an affront on multiple levels. —

Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2023 His life and crimes have been chronicled in countless documentaries and dramatizations, including a 2019 film starring Zac Efron. —

Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2023 Ultimately, Hank Sr.’s legacy is difficult to fully chronicle. —

Tom Roland, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2023 See More

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 (tà) 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

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Chronicle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chronicle. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.

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Kids Definition

chronicle

1 of 2 noun

chron·i·cle ˈkrän-i-kəl

: an account of events in the order of their happening : history

chronicle

2 of 2 verb

chronicled; chronicling -k(ə-)liŋ

: to present a record of in or as if in a chronicle

chronicle the major events of last year

chronicler

-k(ə-)lər

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