# anachronism

> English word · Noun · IPA /əˈnæ.kɹə.nɪ.z(ə)m/ · frequency rank #50,933

## Definitions
1. A chronological mistake; the erroneous dating of an event, circumstance, or object.
2. A person or thing which seems to belong to a different time or period of time.
3. The aberrant projection of the present onto the past.

## Etymology
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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/anachronism