chronology
gb/kɹənˈɑləd͡ʒi/ us/kɹənˈɑləd͡ʒi/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
formal
C1
relation
1
the order events happen
the time order of events
Usage pattern:
the chronology of [something]
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse chronology (the order) with chronicle (a written story or record).
Synonyms
sequence (General word for events in order, not necessarily by time.)
|
order (Broader than chronology; can be any kind of arrangement.)
Antonyms
disorder (Lack of a clear or correct order.)
Collocations
the chronology of events
|the chronology of the case
|the chronology of the story
|a clear chronology
|a confused chronology
|the correct chronology
|establish the chronology
|reconstruct the chronology
|follow the chronology
|map the chronology
Themes
time
|history
|writing
|education
Examples
- The report lays out the chronology of events leading up to the accident.
- Witness statements didn’t match, so the police had to rebuild the chronology.
- The film scrambles the chronology, showing the ending before the beginning.
Learner examples
- We need the chronology of the story.
- The chronology is hard to follow.
Noun
formal
C1
entity
2
a dated timeline or list
a timeline that lists events by date
Usage pattern:
a chronology of [something]
Common mistake:
A chronology is usually organized by time; a summary may be organized by importance or topic instead.
Synonyms
timeline (More common and often more visual; less formal than chronology.)
|
chronicle (Often a more narrative record; not always a simple list by date.)
Antonyms
summary (A short account that may not follow date-by-date order.)
Collocations
a detailed chronology
|a brief chronology
|a chronology of the war
|a chronology of the project
|a chronology of his career
|a published chronology
|a timeline and chronology
|compile a chronology
|provide a chronology
|include a chronology
Themes
time
|history
|publishing
|education
Examples
- The book opens with a chronology of key political events from 1990 to 2005.
- For the appendix, she compiled a chronology of the company’s major product launches.
- The website includes a concise chronology of the expedition, with dates and locations.
Learner examples
- The article has a chronology at the end.
Noun
technical
C2
abstract
3
the study of dating events
the study of finding when past events happened
Usage pattern:
[field] chronology
Common mistake:
This meaning is about a field of study, not just a timeline you write.
Synonyms
dating (More general; can mean finding the age of objects as well as events.)
Collocations
historical chronology
|biblical chronology
|ancient chronology
|relative chronology
|absolute chronology
|chronology and dating
|methods of chronology
|establish a chronology
|chronology of the period
|chronology research
Themes
history
|science
|archaeology
|education
Examples
- The paper discusses the chronology of early human settlement in the region.
- Advances in radiocarbon dating transformed archaeological chronology.
- Scholars disagree about the chronology of the dynasty’s later rulers.
Grammar
Dictionary form
chronology
IPA
GB/kɹənˈɑləd͡ʒi/
US/kɹənˈɑləd͡ʒi/
Syllables & stress
chro - no - logy (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (no)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: chronology
- Plural: chronologies, chronology
Word family
Forms
chronologies
noun
Core family
chronological
adjective B2
chronologically
adverb C1
Related words
chronicle
noun C1
Advanced or less common
anachronism
noun
anachronistic
adjective
Expressions
establish the chronology
1/ɪstˈæblɪʃ ðə kɹənˈɑləd͡ʒi/
fixed phrase
formal
determine the true time order
find the correct order of events
Examples
- Investigators are still trying to establish the chronology of the final hours.
- The judge asked both sides to establish the chronology of the meetings.
- We need to establish the chronology before we can explain what went wrong.
in chronological order
1/ˈɪn kɹˌɑnəlˈɑd͡ʒɪkəl ˈɔɹdɚ/
fixed phrase
ordered by date/time
from the earliest to the latest
Examples
- Arrange the receipts in chronological order before scanning them.
- The biography is written in chronological order.
- I listed my jobs in chronological order, starting with my first role.
in chronological order
1/ˈɪn kɹˌɑnəlˈɑd͡ʒɪkəl ˈɔɹdɚ/
fixed phrase
arranged from earliest to latest
from the oldest to the newest
Examples
- Please put the documents in chronological order before the meeting.
- The biography tells her story in chronological order, starting with her childhood.
- I organized the photos in chronological order by date taken.
piece together the chronology
1/pˈis təɡˈɛðɚ ðə kɹənˈɑləd͡ʒi/
fixed phrase
reconstruct the event sequence
use clues to find the order of events
Examples
- Detectives pieced together the chronology from CCTV footage and phone records.
- It took weeks to piece together the chronology of the cyberattack.
- By comparing emails, we were able to piece together the chronology of the decision.
reverse chronological order
1/ɹɪvˈɚs kɹˌɑnəlˈɑd͡ʒɪkəl ˈɔɹdɚ/
fixed phrase
latest first time order
from the newest to the oldest
Examples
- Most CVs list work experience in reverse chronological order.
- The comments are displayed in reverse chronological order, with the newest at the top.
- Sort the messages in reverse chronological order to see the latest one first.
reverse chronological order
1/ɹɪvˈɚs kɹˌɑnəlˈɑd͡ʒɪkəl ˈɔɹdɚ/
fixed phrase
arranged from latest to earliest
from the newest to the oldest
Examples
- On a résumé, jobs are usually listed in reverse chronological order.
- The blog displays posts in reverse chronological order, with the newest at the top.
- She presented the updates in reverse chronological order to start with the latest news.