Meaning & use
anachronistic
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Belonging to a time period different from the one being shown or discussed, often by mistake.
Grammar: Used after linking verbs or before nouns: 'The detail seems anachronistic.'
Patterns
- anachronistic detail
- anachronistic to something
The film is set in ancient Rome, but the wristwatch on the hero is anachronistic.
Her novel includes an anachronistic reference to a telephone in the 18th century.
adjectivecomparable
No longer suitable for the present time; old-fashioned and out of place today.
Grammar: Often describes attitudes, laws, or customs that belong to an earlier era.
Patterns
- anachronistic attitude
- anachronistic law
Many people see the rule as anachronistic and want it changed.
His views on marriage are considered anachronistic in modern society.
Word forms
| comparative | more anachronistic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most anachronistic |
Common combinations
- anachronistic detail
- The anachronistic detail of a plastic bottle ruined the historical scene.
- seem anachronistic
- In today's digital world, fax machines seem anachronistic.
- anachronistic use
- The anachronistic use of modern slang in a medieval story confused readers.
- anachronistic attitude
- She criticized the anachronistic attitude that women should not work.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outdated
- Outdated means no longer useful or fashionable, while anachronistic stresses being from the wrong time period.
- old-fashioned
- Old-fashioned is a general term for things not modern; anachronistic is more specific about historical mismatch.
- misplaced
- Misplaced means in the wrong place, not necessarily the wrong time; anachronistic always involves time.
Opposites
Word family
- anachronism noun
- A thing that belongs to a different time period, often by mistake.
- anachronistically adverb
- In a way that belongs to the wrong time period.
Commonly confused: anachronistic or anarchical?
anachronistic vs anarchical
Anarchical means relating to a state without order or government; anachronistic is about time periods.
Practice
The movie about ancient Egypt shows a character using a mobile phone. This is an example of a(n) ______ detail.
Choose one answer.
Anachronistic fits because the phone belongs to a different time period. Anarchical refers to disorder, anonymous means unnamed, and analogous means similar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “anachronistic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.