# What's the opposite of "anachronism"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-anachronism/611072>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 29, 2012, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-anachronism/611072 "2012-01-29T09:30:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-anachronism/611072/1 "2012-01-29T09:30:16Z")

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If, say, horseback travel is an anachronism today, what do you call flying machines in the medieval times? Rocketry in ancient China? Celestial navigation in Polynesia?

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**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-anachronism/611072/2 "2012-01-29T09:34:51Z")

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They’re all anachronisms. It means something in the wrong time - future or past doesn’t matter.

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-anachronism/611072/3 "2012-01-29T09:39:59Z")

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I’d think ‘congruity’ would be the opposite of ‘anachronism’. But that’s not what you meant.

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**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-anachronism/611072/4 "2012-01-29T09:57:22Z")

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> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> I’d think ‘congruity’ would be the opposite of ‘anachronism’. But that’s not what you meant.

Good answer! 🙂

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**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-anachronism/611072/5 "2012-01-29T10:32:34Z")

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From the OED definition of anachronism, which you’ll note also supplies the word you’re looking for - _parachronism._

> [@](#):
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> An error in computing time, or fixing dates; the erroneous reference of an event, circumstance, or custom to a wrong date. Said etymologically (like prochronism) of a date which is too early, but also used of too late a date, which has been distinguished as parachronism

.

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**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-anachronism/611072/6 "2012-01-29T18:08:49Z")

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> [@Reply](#):
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> If, say, horseback travel is an anachronism today, what do you call flying machines in the medieval times? Rocketry in ancient China? Celestial navigation in Polynesia?

I wouldn’t call horseback travel an anachronism today. Lots of people still do it in the back country. My understanding of anachronism is having something occur or exist in a particular time that simply didn’t truly ever actually occur or exist at that time. Rockets in the sense of what we would call fireworks certainly would not be an anachronism in ancient China.

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-anachronism/611072/7 "2012-01-29T18:12:51Z")

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I recommend you look at the [Wikipedia article on anachronism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anachronism).