as in companions
a person who lives at the same time or is about the same age as another
Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were exact contemporaries, actually being born on the same day in 1809
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Recent Examples of contemporaries
Unlike many of his brash contemporaries, Oscar Piastri is known for his calm demeanor on and off the Formula One track.
—
Roman Stubbs, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
McPherson enjoyed the work of many contemporaries, but admired Hayes’ ability to pivot gracefully from one passion to another.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
The Chicago Collective continues to be the must-attend show for independent menswear stores to find trend-right merchandise while reconnecting with their contemporaries about how best to navigate the macro-issues facing the industry.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 6 Feb. 2026
One could be forgiven to pooh-pooh yet another play that lays out William Shakespeare’s bona fides as a hip-hop icon, the original bar spitter who beefed with plenty of his contemporaries while dropping sick flows all over Elizabethan England.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
Whereas Bowen’s upbringing created a natural affinity with Proust, his work also struck a chord with contemporaries of more humble origin.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Howell Nature Center in Livingston County While Woody and other contemporaries across the country are lesser known than Punxsutawney Phil, whose celebration in Pennsylvania gets national attention, the legend is the same.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
Writers, artists, performers, poets and librarians all gathered for an intellectual salon to discuss their work and the contributions of deceased contemporaries.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 31 Jan. 2026
Vickers and her contemporaries have helped people hone their quiet eye in a variety of contexts, mostly sports.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Roman Stubbs, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
McPherson enjoyed the work of many contemporaries, but admired Hayes’ ability to pivot gracefully from one passion to another.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
The Chicago Collective continues to be the must-attend show for independent menswear stores to find trend-right merchandise while reconnecting with their contemporaries about how best to navigate the macro-issues facing the industry.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 6 Feb. 2026
One could be forgiven to pooh-pooh yet another play that lays out William Shakespeare’s bona fides as a hip-hop icon, the original bar spitter who beefed with plenty of his contemporaries while dropping sick flows all over Elizabethan England.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
Whereas Bowen’s upbringing created a natural affinity with Proust, his work also struck a chord with contemporaries of more humble origin.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Howell Nature Center in Livingston County While Woody and other contemporaries across the country are lesser known than Punxsutawney Phil, whose celebration in Pennsylvania gets national attention, the legend is the same.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
Writers, artists, performers, poets and librarians all gathered for an intellectual salon to discuss their work and the contributions of deceased contemporaries.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 31 Jan. 2026
Vickers and her contemporaries have helped people hone their quiet eye in a variety of contexts, mostly sports.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemporaries
Noun
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Some experts have warned about the mental health risks of relying on AI companions for emotional support, especially for young people.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
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On Friday, the company plans to shutter its GPT-4o model — widely considered the most emotionally intelligent on the market, and often used for individuals’ companions.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For the research, the scientists searched for lambda hyperons and their antimatter counterparts, antilambdas.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
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Cabot experienced firsthand the extremity of public shaming that women have long experienced when in the negative spotlight of the media, one their male counterparts often seem to avoid.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Supreme Leader has no equals Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, has served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989 and remains the country’s highest political and religious authority, with ultimate control over military, security and strategic decisions.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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Bloomberg News was the first to report the talks between the two companies were at an advanced stage and that they could be billed as a merger of equals.—
Reuters,
Reuters,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The universal hatred comes from the child star’s coevals, whose curiosity about the occupation is mingled with resentment.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contemporaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemporaries. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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