anacronym

A1N1A1C3R1O1N1Y4M3
/əˈnæk.ɹə.nɪm/

noun

An acronym that is usually no longer thought of as such, but instead treated as a regular word and styled in lower case despite its etymological origin.

“When you write about using a waterproof laser pointer while scuba diving, you probably aren’t going to write about “a L.A.S.E.R. pointer for S.C.U.B.A. diving”, because the words laser and scuba are anacronyms.”

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Meanings

nounanacronym (plural anacronyms)

plural anacronyms

  1. An acronym that is usually no longer thought of as such, but instead treated as a regular word and styled in lower case despite its etymological origin.

    When you write about using a waterproof laser pointer while scuba diving, you probably aren’t going to write about “a L.A.S.E.R. pointer for S.C.U.B.A. diving”, because the words laser and scuba are anacronyms.

Origin

Perhaps blend of anachronism + acronym but perhaps an- + acronym, in either case indicating an acronymic word that has lost much of its acronymic identity because people usually no longer focus on the etymonic origin when using the word.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with anacronym

acronymanachronymbackronymmacronymorphan acronympseudo-acronymrecursive acronym
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

anachronym
Cite this entry
APA

anacronym. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anacronym

MLA

“anacronym.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anacronym. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anacronym,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anacronym.

Source: anacronym on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.