timeline

or time line

[ tahym-lahyn ]

noun

1. a linear representation of important events in the order in which they occurred.
2. a schedule; timetable.
3. Digital Technology.
   1. a collection of online posts or updates associated with a specific social media account, in reverse chronological order.
   2. timeline bar.
4. an alternate reality in which events unfold differently, often beginning at a single identifiable moment of divergence that establishes a distinct but recognizable parallel existence: We’re stuck in the darkest timeline, trapped in a dystopian nightmare. parallel universe ( def 3 ).

   My free-love hippie mom just got engaged to a hedge fund manager—what timeline am I living in?

   We’re stuck in the darkest timeline, trapped in a dystopian nightmare.

timeline

/ ˈtaɪmˌlaɪn /

noun

1. a graphic representation showing the passage of time as a line
2. a time frame during which something is scheduled to happen

Word History and Origins

Origin of timeline¹

First recorded in 1950–55; time ( def ) + line ¹( def )

Example Sentences

“But I don’t think we thought this timeline was going to be how it showed up. He is so competitive. I think that’s the biggest thing I didn’t realize. How competitive he is.”

From Los Angeles Times

"I know from my own family growing up, we had such a clear idea of the timeline of how Christmas or any tradition will unfold," he tells BBC News.

From BBC

The deal would also stipulate a timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the south.

From BBC

“The skeptical side, however, is there really is no timeline. It’s unclear.”

From Los Angeles Times

While the platform looked a lot like the old Twitter, your Bluesky feed is a reverse chronological timeline of posts with photos, videos and links that you can also like and repost.

From Salon

Related Words

• agenda
• timetable

More About Timeline

What is a timeline?

A timeline is a visual representation of chronological events on a line.

Timelines are often used in videos, textbooks, articles, or other media that is recounting history. In online news and entertainment, a timeline is also often used to keep track of events as they happen, especially for pressing stories such as major world events and important elections.

On social media, a timeline is a broad term that refers to a collection of posts on someone’s account. For example, on Twitter, a user’s timeline is full of posts that they and those they follow create in an order determined by algorithm. While some social media sites might officially refer to such a collection as a page, board, or home, they can all casually be called timelines.

Example: To recreate a timeline of events from that evening, we will need as many details as possible.

Where does timeline come from?

The first records of the term timeline come from the 1950s. It combines the terms time, referring to the metric used to measure existence, and line, meaning “a mark or stroke that is longer than it is wide.” A timeline effectively means “events arranged on a line in sequential order.”

In entertainment, especially in science fiction and fantasy in which plots can become complex or convoluted, timelines are often used to keep track of and summarize the stories. In these same genres the theme of time travel is also often dealt with, which brings up questions of timelines and effects time travel has on them. In these cases, there can be parallel or multiple existences running on different histories, or timelines.

Did you know … ?

What are some synonyms for timeline? 

• agenda
• timetable
• chronology

What are some words that share a root or word element with timeline? 

• line
• time

What are some words that often get used in discussing timeline?

• chronological
• events
• story

How is timeline used in real life?

A timeline is a chronological collection of events and is often used to list historical or fictional events.

My timeline is nothing but Ariana Grande and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez roasting people and not only am I here for it but I kind of want them to team up

— Jess Goodwin (@thejessgoodwin) November 21, 2018

I'm tired of seeing hate on my timeline from some of my own "fans"

— Carter Reynolds (@carterreynolds) August 5, 2014

i stand by the words "love only", meaning I won't tolerate on my timeline any kind of hate, racism, or discrimination towards ANYONE. period

— camila (@Camila_Cabello) August 6, 2016

 

Try using timeline!

Is timeline used correctly in the following sentence?

Part of our history assignment was to create a timeline of the important battles in World War II.