Anachronistic
(pronounced uh-nak-ruh-nis-tik) adjective
Definition
from the noun anachronism.
Anachronism (pronounced uh-nak-ruh-niz-um) 1. something that is out of its proper or chronological order. 2. a person or thing that is inconsistent or disharmonious with the present because it belongs to a former age; something so outmoded as to attract attention.
Main Example
- Suddenly, the daily headlines are dominated by news of incipient trade wars. The current world trade order, which came into existence after WWII, when most nation states realized that trade barriers caused severe and universal economic harm, seems to be wobbling. Yes, the Trump administration’s recent anachronistic steps--such as the imposition of steep tariffs on certain imports from China--and news that the Asian giant is mulling severe retaliatory steps of its own makes this author think that he is living in a time warp.
Workplace Examples
- At tomorrow’s orientation for new employees, if anyone sneers at our uncommon workplace rules and describes them as being anachronistic and belonging to the horse-and-buggy era, just point out that it’s because of those rules that we are No. 1 in the industry!
- Craig is a walking anachronism. He wears these stiff three-piece suits when hardly anyone else even wears a jacket or tie; he still prefers corresponding by memos and handwritten notes even though the rest of us only use emails and the occasional Post-it Note; and he uses WordPerfect, which we all abandoned more than a decade ago!
Other Examples
- somebody whose thinking about such matters as truth, morality, and altruism is almost anachronistic and out of sync with our times
- Kansas Board of Education’s 1999 move to remove the teaching of evolution from the state’s science curriculum--a decision that was later rescinded by a new board--criticized by many as anachronistic
- the late Jesse Helms, the controversial U.S. senator from North Carolina, who was praised by some for his unambiguous and consistent stands, and criticized by others for being an anachronism because, after 30 years in Congress, he still fervently believed in the “Old South” values on matters such as civil rights, segregation, and the Confederate flag
- the anachronistic look of Havana’s streets because many of the cars are of 1950s vintage; the Volkswagen Beetle and the Chrysler PT Cruiser proving popular partly because their external styling is so retro or anachronistic, being similar to body designs from the 1930s and '40s
- even many devout Muslims describing the Taliban as an utter anachronism because they forbid education for girls and do not permit women to work
