retronym

re·tro·nym
R1E1T1R1O1N1Y4M3
UK/ɹəˈtɹəʊ.nɪm/US/ɹəˈtɹoʊ.nɪm/

noun

A new word or phrase coined for an old object or concept whose original name has become used for something else or is no longer unique, or which did not originally have a specific name.

First used 1980sScrabble 13

Meanings

nounretronym (plural retronyms)

plural retronyms

  1. human sciencesA new word or phrase coined for an old object or concept whose original name has become used for something else or is no longer unique, or which did not originally have a specific name.First known use 1980s

    You can get a good sense of the pace of change over the past century just by looking at the retronyms we've accumulated. New technologies have forced us to come up with terms like steam locomotive, silent movie […]

    2004, Geoff Nunberg, Going Nucular: Language, Politics, and Culture in Confrontational Times, →ISBN, page 239
    1 more example

    The phrase is a retronym, the term Frank Mankiewicz has coined to describe names of familiar objects or events that need a modifier to catch up to more modern objects: day baseball and natural turf are in the same category as analog watch.

    1982 December 26, William Safire, “On Language: Watch what you say”, in New York Times

Origin

From retro- + -onym; coined by Frank Mankiewicz and popularized by William Safire.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian ретроним
  • ретроним (retronim)A new coinage for an old concept
Chinese Mandarin 返璞詞 /返璞词
  • 返璞詞 /返璞词A new coinage for an old concept
Danish retronym
  • retronymA new coinage for an old concept
Finnish retronyymi
  • retronyymiA new coinage for an old concept
French rétronyme
  • rétronymeA new coinage for an old concept
German Retronym
  • RetronymA new coinage for an old concept
Greek παλινώνυμο, αναβαπτιστής
  • παλινώνυμο, αναβαπτιστής (palinónymo, anavaptistís)A new coinage for an old concept
Icelandic afturvirkt orð
  • afturvirkt orðA new coinage for an old concept
Italian retronimo
  • retronimoA new coinage for an old concept
Japanese 再命名, レトロニム
  • 再命名 (saimeimei)A new coinage for an old concept
  • レトロニム (retoronimu)A new coinage for an old concept
Norwegian Bokmål retronym
  • retronymA new coinage for an old concept
Polish retronim
  • retronimA new coinage for an old concept
Portuguese retrónimo, retrônimo
  • retrónimoA new coinage for an old concept
  • retrônimoA new coinage for an old concept
Russian ретро́ним
  • ретро́ним (retrónim)A new coinage for an old concept
Spanish retrónimo
  • retrónimoA new coinage for an old concept
Swedish retronym
  • retronymA new coinage for an old concept
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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