Chronological
/ˌkrɑːnəˈlɑːdʒɪkəl/
adjectiveB2
Definition
Chronological describes the order of events arranged by time. When something is in chronological order, it means the first event happened before the second, the second before the third, and so on. This word is often used when telling stories, writing history, or organizing information.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
Arranged in the order of time when events happened
- •The teacher asked us to write the story in chronological order.
- •The timeline shows the chronological order of important events in history.
- •The book presents the facts in chronological order, starting from 1900.
Related to time or the measurement of time
- •We studied the chronological development of the city.
- •The report included a chronological list of meetings.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "chronological" like "time order" (A1 phrase), but it means a clear, step-by-step sequence from start to end
- ✓Picture a timeline with dates going from left (oldest) to right (newest), like a line showing your life from birth to now
- ✓It's the feeling when you tell a story from the beginning, middle, to the end so others understand what happened first
- ✓Sounds like "CRON-o-LOJ-ical" → imagine a "clock" (cron-) organizing events in a logical way
- ✓Imagine a history book that lists events year by year, so you can see how one event leads to another
- ✓NOT like "random" order where events happen in no special sequence
- ✓NOT like "reverse" order that starts with the newest event and goes backward
- ✓NOT like "thematic" order which groups events by topic, not by time
Try Other Words
- •Sequential: happening in a clear sequence, one after another (Use when emphasizing the step-by-step nature, not just time)
- •Historical: related to past events (Use when focus is on history, not just order)
- •In order: arranged correctly (Use in simple, everyday contexts)
- •Temporal: related to time (Use in scientific or technical contexts)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "chrono-" (time) + "-logical" (related to logic or study)
- •Etymology: From Greek "chronos" meaning time + "logia" meaning study or reason
- •Historical development: Used first to describe study of time or time order in the 1600s; later used to describe order of events by time
- •Modern usage: Commonly used in history, storytelling, and organization to mean events placed by when they happened
Reflect & Connect
•How does putting events in chronological order help us understand stories or history better?
•Can you think of situations where it might be better NOT to use chronological order? Why?
Fill in the blanks
1.When writing a biography, it is important to put events in chronological order so the reader can ___ the story clearly.
2.A newspaper article may avoid chronological order to ___ the most important information first.
3.Unlike random lists, a chronological timeline shows events ___ from earliest to latest.
4.In a history class, students learn to arrange facts ___ to understand cause and effect.
5.The term chronological comes from "chrono-" meaning ___ and "-logical" meaning related to reason or study.
6.A diary usually records events in chronological order because it follows ___.
7.Sometimes, stories use flashbacks and do not follow a chronological sequence, which can ___ the reader.