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ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Anachronism

/əˈnæ.kɹə.nɪ.z(ə)m/ · noun

Meaning

A chronological mistake; the erroneous dating of an event, circumstance, or object. [from 17th c.].

Definitions by Sense

  1. A chronological mistake; the erroneous dating of an event, circumstance, or object. [from 17th c.]
  2. (countable) A person or thing which seems to belong to a different time or period of time. [from 19th c.]
  3. The aberrant projection of the present onto the past.

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.
It has been a colossal error by Davos Man left-wingers to think of nation-states as embarrassing anachronisms hostile to democracy.
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.

Synonyms for anachronism

Antonyms for anachronism

Related Words

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does anachronism mean?

Anachronism means A chronological mistake; the erroneous dating of an event, circumstance, or object. [from 17th c.].

What is a synonym for anachronism?

Common synonyms include mistiming, misdating.

What is the opposite of anachronism?

The opposite depends on the specific sense.

How do you use anachronism in a sentence?

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.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.