chronicle

noun chron·i·cle \ ˈkrä-ni-kəl \

|Updated on: 6 Jun 2018

Examples: chronicle in a Sentence

Definition of chronicle

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

a chronicle of the Civil War

2 : narrative 1

a chronicle of the struggle against drug traffickers

See chronicle defined for English-language learners

See chronicle defined for kids

Examples of chronicle in a Sentence

a chronicle of the American Civil War
a chronicle of the President's years in office

Recent Examples of chronicle from the Web

The Assistant Who Vogued Her Way Out While not nearly as convoluted as the chronicles of Anna Delvey, Yvonne Bannigan's crimes are equally glamorous.

— morgan baila, refinery29.com, "The Stories Of New York's Glamorous Grifters Are The Perfect Ocean's 8 Pregame," 1 June 2018
There is more drama, and more politics, in Doyle’s chronicle of the birth of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

— rachel riederer, The New Republic, "Can Rivers Be People Too?," 9 May 2018
In a gallery overlooking the factory, Stefanelli points out newspaper pages from a century ago that chronicle the elite who visited the town spa, hotel, and casino.

— bob morris, Town & Country, "A Users Guide to Bottled Water," 3 May 2018
Of course, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of the chronicles of whites and their exploits in the slave trade.

— angela helm, The Root, "Zora Neale Hurston’s Barracoon Is a One in a Million Tale From the Last Known Survivor of the Transatlantic Slave Trade," 10 May 2018
The most inventive and amusing feed is Jamie Newton's, a chronicle of improvised sculptures assembled from common studio tools, household objects, light and shadow.

— leah ollman, latimes.com, "One bed photo per day, for years and years: Mesmerizing moments from an art show about daily life," 9 Apr. 2018
After one audition, Devon Terrell landed the role of Barack Obama for Barry, a chronicle of the future president's arrival in New York City as a Columbia undergrad in 1981.

— julie kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Devon Terrell on Becoming Barack Obama," 5 Dec. 2016
This carefully observed family story rings true to life, but a larger purpose in Laura’s 15-year chronicle remains elusive.

— kate greathead, New York Times, "Three Sparkling Debuts, Joined by New York City," 4 May 2018
In addition to veterans' stories, the chronicle also includes information on programs and services that aid vets, and offers articles dealing with financial, educational and career advice.

— brian albrecht, cleveland.com, "Veterans' stories don't end with military discharge in the DD214 Chronicle (photos,video)," 2 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of chronicle

Middle English cronicle, from Anglo-French, alteration of chronike, from Latin chronica, from Greek chronika, from neuter plural of chronikos — see chronic

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

chronicle Synonyms

Synonyms

account, chronology, commentary (usually commentaries), history, narration, narrative, record, report, story;

Related Words

version;

deposition, documentation, testament, testimonial, testimony, witness;

annals, blog, diary, journal, log, logbook, memoir;

anecdote, tale, yarn;

epic, saga;

recital, recitation;

case history, case study;

Other Publishing Terms

annotate, dreadful, emend, expurgate, factoid, jump, lobster shift, redaction, referee

chronicle

verb

Definition of chronicle

chronicled; chronicling \-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

play \-k(ə-)lər\ noun

See chronicle defined for English-language learners

Examples of chronicle in a Sentence

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 of chronicle from the Web

For all the attention political theorists and commentators have lately devoted to a definition of the working class, not much fiction chronicles the sheer weirdness of working-class life and labor today.

— michael friedrich, The New Republic, "Spirit of the Strip Mall," 24 May 2018
The follow-up will chronicle Amber’s internal struggle with becoming a queen and political drama faced by Richard.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "Hooray! Netflix Is Releasing A Sequel To "A Christmas Prince"," 21 May 2018
As the introduction by historian and editor Deborah G. Plant points out—there exist only about eight accounts that chronicle or even mention the Maafa, or Middle Passage, written by black people.

— angela helm, The Root, "Zora Neale Hurston’s Barracoon Is a One in a Million Tale From the Last Known Survivor of the Transatlantic Slave Trade," 10 May 2018
The dramatic scene has been preserved for millennia in the first-ever trackways, or sets of fossilized footprints, that may chronicle human hunters in action against big prey.

— sid perkins, Science | AAAS, "Ancient human-sloth hunt hinted at in 15,000-year-old footprints," 25 Apr. 2018
In 2007, the New York Post chronicled Cohen’s purchases in Trump buildings.

— Bloomberg.com, "Trump Lawyer Cohen Finds Finances Examined by Prosecutors," 12 Apr. 2018
Keila, who runs the Instagram account @keilas_journey, is chronicling their journey on Instagram.

— blake bakkila, Health.com, "This Mom and Her Daughters Have Lost a Total of 154 Pounds in One Year—and Each Used a Different Method," 11 Apr. 2018
As the bus lumbers through it, the narrator chronicles humanity’s fixation with the mysteries of the sky.

— ingrid burrington, The Atlantic, "New Mexico’s Sad Bet on Space Exploration," 2 Mar. 2018
For a century, Munn & Company retained ownership of the magazine, which chronicled the major discoveries and inventions of the Industrial Revolution, including the Bessemer steel converter, the telephone and the incandescent lightbulb.

— Scientific American, "About Scientific American," 27 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of chronicle

see ¹chronicle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

chronicle Synonyms

Synonyms

chart, describe, narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report, tell;

detail, enumerate, itemize, particularize;

bare, disclose, divulge, expose, let on (about), reveal;

delineate, depict, express, render, sketch;

Phrases

set forth;

Other Publishing Terms

annotate, dreadful, emend, expurgate, factoid, jump, lobster shift, redaction, referee

CHRONICLE Defined for English Language Learners

chronicle

noun

Definition of chronicle for English Language Learners

: a description of events in the order that they happened

chronicle

verb

Definition of chronicle for English Language Learners

: to describe a series of events in the order that they happened

CHRONICLE Defined for Kids

chronicle

noun chron·i·cle \ ˈkrä-ni-kəl \

Definition of chronicle for Students

: an account of events in the order that they happened : history

Word Root of chronicle

The Greek word chronos, meaning “time,” gives us the root chron. Words from the Greek chronos have something to do with time. The chronological order of events is the order in which they happened in time. Anything that is chronic lasts for a very long time. A chronicle is a telling of events in the order in which they happened in time.