anachronism en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /əˈnæ.kɹə.nɪ.z(ə)m/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- (Australia) audio
- ənăkʹrənĭzəm (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- (Northern-California) audio
- ənăkʹrənĭzm (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
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.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) A chronological mistake; the erroneous dating of an event, circumstance, or object.
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.
1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 30, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:[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 […]
1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 53, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
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(countable) A person or thing which seems to belong to a different time or period of time.
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.
2009 May 20, Margaret Wente, “We are witnessing the passing of working-class masculinity”, in The Globe and Mail, archived from the original on 27 May 2009: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.
1956, Arthur C. Clarke, The City and the Stars, page 32:It has been a colossal error by Davos Man left-wingers to think of nation-states as embarrassing anachronisms hostile to democracy.
2017 March 28, Alan Johnson, “Why Brexit Is Best for Britain: The Left-Wing Case”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 Nov 2020:The old portions are perfectly preserved[…]and yet right there, in their literal backyard, rise the newer portions, the Star Wars district and the Avatar experience, offering the best of current theme park technologies to match the lovingly maintained anachronisms.
2023 March 3, Ross Douthat, “What a Visit to Disney World Reveals About America”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 30 Mar 2023: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.
1971, Ken Welsh, Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe, revised and updated edition, London: Pan, published 1975, page 142:You are too young—it is an anachronism for you to have such thoughts
1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XXII, in Middlemarch […], volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book II, page 400:
- (countable, uncountable) The aberrant projection of the present onto the past.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| anachronisms | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
Relateds
anachronym · anachronistic · anachronous · retronym · prochronistic · anachronously · parachronistic · anachronistically
Translations (71)
ko 시대 착오 (chronological mistake) · nn anakronisme (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · sh анахронѝзам (chronological mistake) · ru анахрони́зм (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · sh anahronìzam (chronological mistake) · de Anachronismus (chronological mistake) · hu kortévesztés (chronological mistake) · ga iomrall aimsire (chronological mistake) · lad anakronizmo (chronological mistake) · pl anachronizm (chronological mistake) · nb anakronisme (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · hy անախրոնիզմ (chronological mistake) · bg анахрони́зъм (chronological mistake) · eo dateraro (chronological mistake) · de Anachronismus (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · gl anacronismo (chronological mistake) · tr çağaşım (chronological mistake) · lad anakronizmo (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · cmn 時空錯位 /时空错位 (chronological mistake) · ja 時代錯誤 (chronological mistake) · tr zamandışılık (chronological mistake) · grc ἀναχρονισμός (chronological mistake) · hu anakronizmus (chronological mistake) · cs anachronismus (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · pl anachroniczność (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · it anacronismo (chronological mistake) · id anakronisme (chronological mistake) · ru пережи́ток (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · pt anacronismo (chronological mistake) · hu időzavar (chronological mistake) · ga anacrónachas (chronological mistake) · pl anachronizm (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · sh анакронѝзам (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · ca anacronisme (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · es anacronía (chronological mistake) · ja 時代錯誤 (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · fi anakronismi (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · mk анахрони́зам (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · ru анахрони́зм (chronological mistake) · bg анахрони́зъм (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · mk анахрони́зам (chronological mistake) · el αναχρονισμός (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · fi ajoitusvirhe (chronological mistake) · gl anacronismo (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · el αναχρονισμός (chronological mistake) · es anacronismo (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · ga mí-aimsearthacht (chronological mistake) · tr zaman aşımı (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · be анахранізм (chronological mistake) · uk анахроні́зм (chronological mistake) · cmn 不合時宜 /不合时宜 (chronological mistake) · pl anachroniczność (chronological mistake) · tr anakronizm (chronological mistake) · gv mee-emshiraght (chronological mistake) · ca anacronisme (chronological mistake) · da anakronism (chronological mistake) · es anacronía (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · es anacronismo (chronological mistake) · fr anachronisme (chronological mistake) · ro anacronism (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · sv anakronism (chronological mistake) · hu időrendi tévedés (chronological mistake) · ro anacronism (chronological mistake) · sh anakronìzam (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · eo anakronismo (chronological mistake) · pt anacronismo (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · id anakronisme (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · nl anachronisme (chronological mistake) · da anakronisme (person or thing which seems to belong to a different time) · sh анакронѝзам (chronological mistake) · sh anakronìzam (chronological mistake)