contemporary

1 of 2

adjective

con·​tem·​po·​rary kən-ˈtem-pə-ˌrer-ē How to pronounce contemporary (audio)
-ˌre-rē
Synonyms of contemporary
1
: marked by characteristics of the present period : modern, current
contemporary American literature
contemporary standards
The story is old, but has importance to contemporary audiences.
The menu is contemporary with twists on Lebanese classics.—Margie Goldsmith
2
a
: occurring at the same moment : simultaneous
contemporary turns of two wheels
b
: happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same period of time
The book is based on contemporary accounts of the war.
contemporarily
kən-ˌtem-pə-ˈrer-ə-lē How to pronounce contemporary (audio)
adverb
… the dark comedy, which contemporarily reimagines Greek mythology and stars Jeff Goldblum as Zeus. —Inga Parkel

contemporary

2 of 2

noun

plural contemporaries
1
: one that is contemporary with another
Petrarch and Chaucer were contemporaries.
… Her [Toni Morrison's] vision was epic; her voice was lyric, unequaled by any of her contemporaries.—Larry Allums, quoted in The Dallas Morning News
2
: one of the same or nearly the same age as another

Did you know?

Contemporary can be confusing because of its slightly different meanings. In everyday use, it generally means simply "modern" or "new". But before the 20th century it instead referred only to things from the same era as certain other things; so, for instance, Jesus was contemporary with the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius, and Muhammad was contemporary with Pope Gregory the Great. And contemporary is also a noun: thus, Jane Austen's contemporaries included Coleridge and Wordsworth, and your own contemporaries were born around the same year that you were.

Synonyms of contemporary

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Adjective

Noun

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Choose the Right Synonym for contemporary

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

Examples of contemporary in a Sentence

Adjective the absurd notion that early cave dwellers were contemporary with the dinosaurs a magazine devoted to contemporary fashions Noun He was a contemporary of George Washington. She is politically very different from most of her contemporaries.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Qajar-dynasty kitsch—kings with walrus mustaches and embellished turbans, women with unibrows in tunics—became ubiquitous as a motif in contemporary art, on the walls of cafés, on teapots. —Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026 Formed in Berlin, the Notos Quartett is known for its wide-ranging repertoire, spanning classical masterworks, rediscovered treasures and contemporary compositions. —Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2026
Noun
Tomkins borrowed the title from a sixteenth-century publication by Giorgio Vasari, a painter and an architect who chronicled the lives of Cimabue, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Giotto, and many other predecessors and contemporaries. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026 Scharf, who grew up in the Valley before making his way to New York City, first gained acclaim in the ‘80s East Village art scene alongside his friends and contemporaries Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, his former roommate. —Pamela Chelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contemporary

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

probably borrowed from New Latin contemporārius "existing at the same period of time," from Latin con- con- + tempor-, tempus "time" + -ārius -ary entry 2 — more at tempo

Note: The suffixation may be modeled on Latin temporārius; see temporary entry 1.

Noun

derivative of contemporary entry 1, or from nominal use of its probable source, New Latin contemporārius

First Known Use

Adjective

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Noun

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of contemporary was in 1614

Rhymes for contemporary

See All Rhymes for contemporary

Browse Nearby Words

contemporariness
contemporary
contemporize
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contemporary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contemporary. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.

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Kids Definition

contemporary

1 of 2 adjective
con·​tem·​po·​rary kən-ˈtem-pə-ˌrer-ē How to pronounce contemporary (audio)
1
: living or occurring at the same period of time
2
: of the present time : modern, current

contemporary

2 of 2 noun
plural contemporaries
: a person who lives at the same time or is about the same age as another

More from Merriam-Webster on contemporary

Nglish: Translation of contemporary for Spanish Speakers

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