chronicle

1 of 2

noun

chron·​i·​cle ˈkrä-ni-kəl 

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 

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

ˈkrä-ni-k(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• account
• chronology
• commentary
• commentaries
• history
• narration
• narrative
• record
• report
• story

Verb

• chart
• describe
• narrate
• recite
• recount
• rehearse
• relate
• report
• tell

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

This silent faux-documentary chronicles the sociological phenomenon of witchcraft from the Middle Ages to the modern age. —Clark Collis, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024

The film — first announced earlier in the year by Variety — chronicles one of the most infamous moments in Irish sporting history, when Keane and McCarthy had a very public falling out. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024

Verb

Its winding, disjointed, miles contain more interesting people and places than even an ambitious guidebook writer could ever hope to chronicle. —Dan Sheehan, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2024

Adra’s filming begins in 2019 and stretches until 2023, chronicling the Israeli government’s attempt to evict the villagers by force, having claimed the land for a military training facility and firing range in 1981. —Leah Asmelash, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024

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 (tà) 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

Phrases Containing chronicle

• chronicle play

Kids Definition

chronicle

1 of 2 noun

chron·​i·​cle ˈkrän-i-kəl 

: an account of events in the order of their happening : history

chronicle

2 of 2 verb

chronicled; chronicling -k(ə-)liŋ 

: to present a record of in or as if in a chronicle

chronicle the major events of last year

chronicler

-k(ə-)lər 

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