chronicle

chronicle — noun

1. a written account of past people, events, or times, presented in the order they

1.nounB2
Definition

a written account of past people, events, or times, presented in the order they happened

Example

The library keeps a medieval chronicle of the kingdom's early rulers.

collocation: medieval chronicle

A chronicle of the Arctic expedition was found inside an old wooden trunk.

collocation: chronicle of [topic]

Common collocations
  • historical chronicle
  • medieval chronicle
  • family chronicle
  • ancient chronicle
  • personal chronicle
Synonyms
  • record

    more general; can be any type of stored information, not necessarily time-ordered

  • history

    broader; often includes analysis and interpretation, not just a time-ordered account

  • annals

    formal; refers specifically to year-by-year records, often historical

Grammar Patterns

chronicle + of + [topic]

Common Mistakes

The diary is a chronicle of my weekend trip.
The diary is a chronicle of my year abroad.
'chronicle' implies a record of events over a significant period, not a short trip.

2. a word used in the title of a newspaper or magazine, usually after a place name

2.nounB2
Definition

a word used in the title of a newspaper or magazine, usually after a place name or a time word

Example

The San Francisco Chronicle is one of California's oldest daily newspapers.

proper noun: The [Place] Chronicle

My grandfather read the Evening Chronicle every night after dinner.

Grammar Patterns

the [Place] Chronicle

the [Time] Chronicle

Usage Note

Only appears in proper nouns as part of a specific newspaper or magazine title. It is always capitalized in this use.

chronicle — verb

Word family

  • chronicler
    nounC1
  • chronological
    adjectiveB2
  • chronologically
    adverbB2
  • chronology
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe capturing or preserving information about events, but they differ in scope and emphasis. 'Record' is the most general word — you can record a meeting, a song, or a measurement in a lab. It does not imply any particular structure. 'Document' suggests careful, often official evidence-gathering, usually for verification: a journalist documents the damage after a storm, a lawyer documents the terms of an agreement. 'Chronicle' adds the dimension of time — it means recording events as they unfold, maintaining the order in which they happened, often with a narrative flow. A historian chronicles the rise of a dynasty, not just a single battle. 'Narrate' focuses on the act of telling a story, paying attention to how the story is shaped for an audience. A documentary might chronicle the events of a war (keeping time order) while the voiceover narrates the human drama (shaping the emotional arc).

chronicle ↗document ↗record ↗narrate

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a chronicle of
  • in the chronicle
  • chronicle the history of
  • keep a chronicle

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinAnglo-FrenchEnglish

From Latin 'chronica' meaning annals of events, borrowed from Greek 'chronika' (annals), from 'chronos' meaning time. The word entered English through Anglo-French 'cronicle' in the 14th century.