Main Entry: ¹con·tem·po·rary

Pronunciation: \kən-ˈtem-pə-ˌrer-ē, -ˌre-rē\

Function: adjective

Etymology: com- + Latin tempor-, tempus

Date: 1631

1 : happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same period of time
2 a : simultaneous b : marked by characteristics of the present period : modern, current

— con·tem·po·rar·i·ly \-ˌtem-pə-ˈrer-ə-lē\ adverb

synonyms contemporary, contemporaneous, coeval, synchronous, simultaneous, coincident mean existing or occurring at the same time. contemporary is likely to apply to people and what relates to them <Abraham Lincoln was contemporary with Charles Darwin>. contemporaneous is more often applied to events than to people <contemporaneous accounts of the kidnapping>. coeval refers usually to periods, ages, eras, eons <two stars thought to be coeval>. synchronous implies exact correspondence in time and especially in periodic intervals <synchronous timepieces>. simultaneous implies correspondence in a moment of time <the two shots were simultaneous>. coincident is applied to events and may be used in order to avoid implication of causal relationship <the end of World War II was coincident with a great vintage year>.