Anachronism
noun /əˈnakrəˌnɪz(ə)m/ — Something that belongs to a different time than where it appears.
Definition
A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists — especially one that appears out of place in time; an error in chronology by which events are misplaced in relation to each other.
Beyond the definition
Anachronism is the feeling of encountering something from a different time unexpectedly. The man who seems to belong to the 19th century. The institution that operates as if it is still 1950. Anachronisms reveal history's unevenness — not everyone is in the same era.
Origin & history
From Greek anachronismos, from ana- (up against) + khronos (time). The literal meaning is against time — something placed wrongly in time.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The film introduced a historical anachronism — a character using a phrase that was not coined until twenty years later.
She was a deliberate anachronism — handwritten letters and no smartphone in a digital era.
The institution had an anachronism quality — its processes designed for a world that no longer existed.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Anachronism” when the meaning fits your context: A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists — especially one that appears out of place in time; an error in chronology by which events are misplaced in relation to each other.
Synonyms
temporal misplacement, out of time, historical error
Antonyms
contemporaneous, modern, timely
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Ruins Against Modern City
Ancient stone ruins in the foreground contrast sharply with a modern glass-and-steel city visible in the distance.
The juxtaposition of ancient stone and modern glass represents a displacement in time, visually demonstrating the nature of an anachronism: something out of place in its era.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Anachronism" mean?
Anachronism is noun meaning: Something that belongs to a different time than where it appears.. A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists — especially one that appears out of place in time; an error in chronology by which events are misplaced in relation to each other.
Where does the word "Anachronism" come from?
From Greek anachronismos, from ana- (up against) + khronos (time). The literal meaning is against time — something placed wrongly in time.