noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Synonym of backronym.
2. 2
   A term which is used in an anachronistic way, by referring to something in a way that is appropriate only for a former or later time. A type of misnomer. Misnomers are not necessarily incorrect; for example, chalk for a chalkboard is normatively called chalk despite it not being made of chalk.

Synonyms

All synonyms

backronym

Etymology

Blend of anachronous + acronym.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.