chronicle

1 of 2

noun

chron·​i·​cle ˈkrä-ni-kəl How to pronounce chronicle (audio)
1
: a historical account of events arranged in order of time usually without analysis or interpretation
a chronicle of the Civil War
2
: narrative sense 1
a chronicle of the struggle against drug traffickers

chronicle

2 of 2

verb

chronicled; chronicling ˈkrä-ni-k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce chronicle (audio)

transitive verb

: to present a record of in or as if in a chronicle
chronicle Victorian society
chronicle the doings of the rich and famous
chronicler noun

Examples of chronicle in a Sentence

Noun a chronicle of the American Civil War a chronicle of the President's years in office Verb The book chronicles the events that led to the American Civil War. She intends to chronicle the broad social changes that have occurred in this part of the country. a magazine that chronicles the lives of the rich and famous
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Moving back and forth in time, Piazza smoothly blends a mystery deep into the heart of a page-turning family chronicle. Karen MacPherson, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 Contributors including Nick Hakim and Buck Meek join the ride, adorning Lenker’s bracing, biographical chronicles with guitar, piano, and violin. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 22 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chronicle 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chronicle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cronycle, borrowed from Anglo-French cronike, cronicle (-le perhaps by assimilation to words with the suffix -icle, as article article entry 1), borrowed from Latin chronica "book of annals," borrowed from Greek () chroniká, (hai) chronikaí, from plural of chronikós "of time, temporal, in order by time" (with a noun such as biblía "books" or graphaí "writings" understood) — more at chronic

Verb

Middle English cronyclen, verbal derivative of cronycle chronicle entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chronicle was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near chronicle

Cite this Entry

“Chronicle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chronicle. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chronicle

1 of 2 noun
chron·​i·​cle ˈkrän-i-kəl How to pronounce chronicle (audio)
: an account of events in the order of their happening : history

chronicle

2 of 2 verb
chronicled; chronicling -k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce chronicle (audio)
: to present a record of in or as if in a chronicle
chronicle the major events of last year
chronicler noun
Etymology

Noun

Middle English cronicle "chronicle," from early French chronique (same meaning), derived from Greek chronikos, "of time," from chronos "time" — related to anachronism, chronic, synchronous

More from Merriam-Webster on chronicle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!