Vocabulary in context
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Anachronism
A person, thing, or event placed in the wrong time in a story, artwork, or description; a chronological error or element that seems out of place in history.
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Imagine This
Picture a medieval knight in armor glancing at a bright, glowing smartphone in a bustling market—another shopper checks a wristwatch with LEDs, while a horse-drawn cart rolls by. All of these elements clash with the scene’s era, creating a clear anachronism.
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Sounds Like
uh-NACK-ruhn-iz-uhm
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Looks Like
Looks like the noun form of 'anachronistic'; visually resembles other -ism words and the root 'chron' (time).
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Remember This
Etymology: from Greek ana- 'not' or 'up/again' + chronos 'time' + -ism; entered English in the 16th–17th century. In literature and film, anachronisms are often used intentionally for effect or humor but can undermine realism if unintentional.
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Other Forms
anachronisticadjective
anachronisticallyadverb
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Connect With
historical inaccuracy, temporal discrepancy, chronological error, misplacement, incongruity
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Note
Note that anachronism is the noun form; the adjective is 'anachronistic' and the adverb is 'anachronistically'. Distinguish it from simply being old-fashioned or outdated (which might be described as 'antiquated' or 'obsolete' rather than anachronistic).
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The film's use of a modern motorcycle in a 1950s setting is a glaring anachronism.
- The novel contains an anachronism when a character mentions a 'server' in a medieval village.
Synonyms
historical inaccuracytemporal incongruityperiod misplacementchronological error
Antonyms
chronological accuracytemporal consistency
Etymology
From Greek ana- 'not' + chronos 'time' + -ism; entered English in the 16th–17th century.
Mnemonic
Think: AN A CHRONO MISMATCH. An item from a different time period mismatches the era, which is the core idea of an anachronism.
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Spontaneous
adjectiveProduced by a sudden inner impulse or without premeditation; happening naturally and unplanned; arising from within rather than being forced from without.
Infamy
nounBad reputation; notoriety for negative deeds.
Avarice
nounAn excessive desire to accumulate wealth or possessions; greed.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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