contemporary

1 of 2

adjective

con·​tem·​po·​rary kən-ˈtem-pə-ˌrer-ē 

-ˌre-rē

1

a

: marked by characteristics of the present period : modern, current

contemporary American literature

contemporary standards

b

: simultaneous

2

: 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 

adverb

contemporary

2 of 2

noun

plural contemporaries

1

: one that is contemporary with another

Petrarch and Chaucer were contemporaries.

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

Adjective

• concurrent
• synchronic
• synchronous
• contemporaneous
• coincident

Noun

• companion
• accompaniment
• counterpart
• coeval
• equivalent

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

Adjective

Instead of the oil-baron excess of Dallas or the leather-and-chrome bravado of contemporary money dramas like Billions, Carter favors seductively austere minimalism and high-ticket abstract art. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 19 Oct. 2025

At the door, a man in a shiny blue suit and eyeglasses forged from some fragile-looking but probably indestructible mineral whose extraction shapes contemporary geoeconomics said hello, peered over my shoulder. —Sam Lipsyte, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025

Noun

In just the last few months, an 8,000-square-foot contemporary sold with an almost $8 million asking price, and a stone residence on the shore of Lake Austin sold with a final ask of just under $7 million. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2025

But whatever its faults and near-misses, Ragtime has always been, like its ’90s contemporaries Titanic and Parade, an opportunity for rediscovery. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025

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 2

Noun

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for contemporary

• accretionary
• apothecary
• bicentenary
• certiorari
• concessionary
• concretionary
• confectionary
• confectionery
• constabulary
• deflationary
• depositary
• disciplinary

Kids Definition

contemporary

1 of 2 adjective

con·​tem·​po·​rary kən-ˈtem-pə-ˌrer-ē 

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