contemporaneous

adjective

con·​tem·​po·​ra·​ne·​ous kən-ˌtem-pə-ˈrā-nē-əs 

: existing, occurring, or originating during the same time

social and political events that were contemporaneous with each other

contemporaneously adverb

contemporaneousness noun

Synonyms

• coetaneous
• coeval
• coexistent
• coexisting
• coextensive
• coincident
• coincidental
• concurrent
• contemporary
• coterminous
• simultaneous
• synchronic
• synchronous

Choose the Right Synonym for contemporaneous

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 contemporaneous in a Sentence

the contemporaneous publication of the two articles

contemporaneous accounts of the battle from officers on both sides

Recent Examples on the Web

Could Emergent donate Narcan to help with the shortage, the Remedy members asked during one phone call, according to two Remedy executives on the call and contemporaneous handwritten notes. —Todd C. Frankel, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2023

Toronto this year also boasts of a U.K. film set in contemporaneous times that does not draw a direct parallel to history but is rather informed by it. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023

Even a court document from divorce proceedings in 1996 provided some contemporaneous evidence. —Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 30 May 2023

The record holder is as obscure as Webb: Brooklyn Robins rookie outfielder Johnny Frederick, whose doubles totals mirrored the contemporaneous stock market crash of the Great Depression, falling to 44, 34, 28, 22 and 20 the next five years. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2023

The Justice Department’s case against Trump relies on Pence’s contemporaneous notes. —Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 21 Aug. 2023

This account is based on internal documents, court files, congressional records, handwritten contemporaneous notes, and interviews with more than two dozen current and former prosecutors, investigators, and others with knowledge of the probe. —Carol D. Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis, Anchorage Daily News, 19 June 2023

One revelation is that Pence kept contemporaneous notes of certain key meetings. —Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2023

The indictment mentions contemporaneous notes Pence took during key meetings and phone calls as Trump and his allies pressured him to reject electoral votes following the 2020 presidential election. —Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 6 Aug. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin contemporāneus, from Latin con- con- + tempor-, tempus "time" + -āneus, compound suffix formed from -ānus -an entry 2 + -eus -eous — more at -eous

Note: The Latin word contemporāneus occurs as a noun in the sense "contemporary" in a chapter heading of Aulus Gellius's Noctes Atticae (19.14), though these headings are most likely a post-classical interpolation. The word is otherwise not attested before the early Middle Ages.

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

contemporaneous

adjective

con·​tem·​po·​ra·​ne·​ous kən-ˌtem-pə-ˈrā-nē-əs 

: existing, occurring, or beginning during the same time

contemporaneously adverb

contemporaneousness noun