RETRONYM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does retronym mean? 

• RETRONYM (noun)
  The noun RETRONYM has 1 sense:

1. a word introduced because an existing term has become inadequate

  Familiarity information: RETRONYM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RETRONYM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A word introduced because an existing term has become inadequate

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

Nobody ever heard of analog clocks until digital clocks became common, so 'analog clock' is a retronym

Hypernyms ("retronym" is a kind of...):

word (a unit of language that native speakers can identify)