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contemporaneous
adjective
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.
contemporaneous is more often applied to events than to people.
coeval refers usually to periods, ages, eras, eons.
synchronous implies exact correspondence in time and especially in periodic intervals.
simultaneous implies correspondence in a moment of time.
coincident is applied to events and may be used in order to avoid implication of causal relationship.
Examples of contemporaneous in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contemporaneous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
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.
circa 1656, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Contemporaneous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contemporaneous. Accessed 24 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
contemporaneous
adjectiveMore from Merriam-Webster on contemporaneous
Nglish: Translation of contemporaneous for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of contemporaneous for Arabic Speakers
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