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
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
In 2015, Colin Fries of the NASA History Division compiled a chronology of wake-up calls.
—
Melissa Gaffney, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
The musical, which examines in jumbled chronology the five-year relationship between novelist Jamie and actress Cathy, debuted in Chicago in 2001 and opened off Broadway the following year.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 4 Apr. 2026
These sentences, written by Averbuch’s translators Oksana Maksymchuk and Max Rosochinsky, appear on the first page of Averbuch’s facing-page bilingual collection Furious Harvests—the only page in the book where chronology can be told quite so simply.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The film’s chronology and historicity function much the same way.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chronology
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Melissa Gaffney, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
The musical, which examines in jumbled chronology the five-year relationship between novelist Jamie and actress Cathy, debuted in Chicago in 2001 and opened off Broadway the following year.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 4 Apr. 2026
These sentences, written by Averbuch’s translators Oksana Maksymchuk and Max Rosochinsky, appear on the first page of Averbuch’s facing-page bilingual collection Furious Harvests—the only page in the book where chronology can be told quite so simply.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The film’s chronology and historicity function much the same way.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chronology
Cite this Entry
“Chronology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chronology. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
noun
-jəst
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