Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

anachronism

/əˈnæ.kɹə.nɪ.z(ə)m/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.53 in modern English

Syllables: anachro-nism
IPA: /əˈnæ.kɹə.nɪ.z(ə)m/

18

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

5

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A chronological mistake; the erroneous dating of an event, circumstance, or object.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A person or thing which seems to belong to a different time or period of time.

Countable

noun

The aberrant projection of the present onto the past.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Indeed, that Hall of the Upper Temple is a sight not uninteresting, and with the exception of some trifling improvements and anachronisms which have been introduced into the practice there, a man may sit down and fancy that he joins in a meal of the seventeenth century."
"[W]e beg the reader to understand that we only commit anachronisms when we choose and when by a daring violation of those natural laws some great ethical truth is to be advanced […]"
"You are too young—it is an anachronism for you to have such thoughts"
"His movements, his clothes, everything about him, seemed slightly out of place in this assembly. He spoiled the pattern; like Alvin, he was an anachronism."
"There exist in Europe a number of independent or semi-independent countries which are complete anachronisms, they are mini-countries which have little business existing in this hurly-burly century, but somehow they survive."
"We're also witnessing the passing of something even more profound - a culture of working-class masculinity that has become an anachronism in the modern world."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- Proto-Hellenic *aná Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰ́ (ănắ) Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰ- (ănă-) Ancient Greek χρόνος (khrónos) Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ίζω (-ízō) Ancient Greek χρονῐ́ζω (khronĭ́zō) Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰχρονῐ́ζομαι (ănăkhronĭ́zomai) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰχρονῐσμός (ănăkhronĭsmós)der. New Latin anachronismusder. English anachronism From New Latin anachronismus, from Ancient Greek ἀναχρονισμός (anakhronismós), from ἀναχρονίζομαι (anakhronízomai, “referring to the wrong time”), from ἀνά (aná, “up against”) + χρονίζω (khronízō, “spending time”), from χρόνος (khrónos, “time”). Analyzable as ana- + chrono- + -ism.

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: anachronismus, ἀναχρονισμός

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /əˈnæ.kɹə.nɪ.z(ə)m/
British English: /əˈnæ.kɹə.nɪ.z(ə)m/

Usage

Inflected Forms

anachronisms (plural)

Derived Forms

anachronize anacronym

Frequently Paired Words

anachronistic anachronistically anachronous anachronously parachronistic prochronistic anachronym retronym

Synonyms

mistiming misdating

Questions

How do you pronounce anachronism?: The recorded pronunciation is /əˈnæ.kɹə.nɪ.z(ə)m/.
What does anachronism mean?: A chronological mistake; the erroneous dating of an event, circumstance, or object.
Where does anachronism come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce anachronism

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