Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

contemporaneous

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of contemporaneous

existing or occurring at the same period of time

  • contemporaneous accounts of the battle from officers on both sides
Synonyms of contemporaneous

coetaneous, coeval, coexistent, coexisting, coextensive, coincident, coincidental, concurrent, contemporary, coterminous, simultaneous, synchronic, synchronous
Words Related to contemporaneous

accompanying, attendant, attending, concomitant, incident
Antonyms of contemporaneous

asynchronous, noncontemporary, nonsimultaneous, nonsynchronous

Synonym Discussion of 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

Learn More about contemporaneous

  1. See words that rhyme with contemporaneous Dictionary: Definition of contemporaneous Spanish Central: Translation of contemporaneous Nglish: Translation of contemporaneous for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of contemporaneous for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up contemporaneous? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

nidus

a nest or breeding place

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. nebulous Lip reading, Brexit, and semantic uncertainty

  2. synergy Mueller files Cohen details.

  3. slumgullion From the broadcast of 'It Happened on Fifth Avenue'

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games