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 of chronology

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

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

The war from within The chronology of the last few months shows a troubling acceleration of aspirational authoritarianism. —Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025

This requires a set of skills to interrogate the past by probing deeply, constructing and reconstructing chronologies, and contemplating counterfactuals in which different decisions might have significantly altered subsequent events. —John T. Shaw, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025

But the building expresses another chronology that has nothing to do with Harlem. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 3 Nov. 2025

The book comprises over three dozen portraits by photographer James Van Der Zee—a renowned figure of the Harlem Renaissance known for depicting Black middle-class life—that offer a visual chronology of the tradition, complete with biblical and mythical adornments. —Air Mail, 1 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chronology

• anthology
• apology
• astrology
• biology
• christology
• conchology
• cosmology
• cryptology
• cytology
• doxology
• ecology
• ethnology

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