contemporary 1 of 2

contemporary

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noun

as in companion
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective contemporary differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of contemporary are coeval, coincident, contemporaneous, simultaneous, and synchronous. While all these words 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

When is coeval a more appropriate choice than contemporary?

In some situations, the words coeval and contemporary are roughly equivalent. However, coeval refers usually to periods, ages, eras, eons.

two stars thought to be coeval

When could coincident be used to replace contemporary?

The words coincident and contemporary can be used in similar contexts, but 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

In what contexts can contemporaneous take the place of contemporary?

While the synonyms contemporaneous and contemporary are close in meaning, contemporaneous is more often applied to events than to people.

contemporaneous accounts of the kidnapping

When is it sensible to use simultaneous instead of contemporary?

The meanings of simultaneous and contemporary largely overlap; however, simultaneous implies correspondence in a moment of time.

the two shots were simultaneous

Where would synchronous be a reasonable alternative to contemporary?

The synonyms synchronous and contemporary are sometimes interchangeable, but synchronous implies exact correspondence in time and especially in periodic intervals.

synchronous timepieces

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contemporary
Adjective
Here are five urban destinations defining the contemporary Southern barbecue scene. Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 23 July 2025 Built on a foundation of traditional Mexican folk styles like mariachi, cumbia and norteño, Los Bukis was among the first successful Mexican bands to incorporate elements of contemporary pop and rock to their sound. Thania Garcia, Variety, 23 July 2025
Noun
Pegas, though, isn’t interested in having his contemporaries’ work subsumed by the Penguins and Random Houses of the world. John McDermott, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2025 When introduced, Porsche’s giant killer was small, light, and nimble compared to most of its contemporaries, but also less powerful than all but a few. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 5 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for contemporary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemporary
Adjective
  • In Father of the Bride Part II, Annie (played by Kimberly Williams-Paisley) and her mom Nina (portrayed by Diane Keaton) also have concurrent pregnancies.
    Luke Chinman, People.com, 22 July 2025
  • The concurrent blazes killed 30 people and destroyed more than 16,200 buildings – compared to 85 and 18,800 for the Camp inferno, which wiped out the Northern California town of Paradise.
    Jorge L. Ortiz, USA Today, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • Climate control systems can monitor and regulate all the inputs in modern greenhouses and hoop houses.
    Julie Weed, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
  • And more modern infrastructure often means more fuel efficient infrastructure.
    Justin Worland, Time, 25 July 2025
Noun
  • Eckhardt’s Senate companion bill was referred to the Finance Committee but has not yet received a hearing.
    Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • Was the genesis of WWE: Unreal sort of a Netflix demand as a companion program to Raw?
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2025
Adjective
  • With a lockable synchronic-tilt mechanism and special Z-Shape design, the Kaiser 2 can accommodate a weight up to 180kg, quite a bit more than normal mechanisms on office chairs and the back can be reclined to an angle of 160 degrees which can be locked when not in rocking mode.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2021
  • For his last runway collection, unveiled in September, Michele constructed a parallel universe of side-by-side shows separated by a wall that when lifted revealed twins in identical looks in synchronic stride.
    Colleen Barry, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2022
Adjective
  • That's why the family was so heartened to welcome back customers, old and new.
    Bahar Anooshahr, AZCentral.com, 24 July 2025
  • The sports arena floated as a solution to save the State Fair site never materialized, but new buildings did begin to replace the old on the fairgrounds, including a 1,000-seat amphitheater in 1974 and a new Coliseum in 1976.
    Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
Noun
  • The 22-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter boasts an ethereal, ductile voice that sounds equally convincing singing solo with flamenco guitar accompaniment or over dance beats.
    Leila Cobo, Billboard, 18 July 2025
  • The eight-track album features the accompaniment of a symphony-style orchestra, gospel choir and swampy, rock-style instrumentation.
    Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • Schools will be closed and students will have a synchronous eLearning day from home, school district officials announced Monday afternoon.
    Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Feb. 2025
  • That’s highly synchronous, resulting in many, many animals making that migration simultaneously.
    Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • Losing patience with Putin, Trump has accused his Russian counterpart of being open to a ceasefire during private conversations, only to carry out attacks on Ukraine afterward.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 28 July 2025
  • Those traits are evident now in his younger counterpart.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Contemporary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemporary. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.

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