contemporary

1 of 2

adjective

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

-ˌre-rē

1

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

contemporary American literature

contemporary standards

The story is old, but has importance to contemporary audiences.

The menu is contemporary with twists on Lebanese classics.

—Margie Goldsmith

2

a

: occurring at the same moment : simultaneous

contemporary turns of two wheels

b

: 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

… the dark comedy, which contemporarily reimagines Greek mythology and stars Jeff Goldblum as Zeus.

—Inga Parkel

contemporary

2 of 2

noun

plural contemporaries

1

: one that is contemporary with another

Petrarch and Chaucer were contemporaries.

… Her [Toni Morrison's] vision was epic; her voice was lyric, unequaled by any of her contemporaries.

—Larry Allums, quoted in The Dallas Morning News

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 of contemporary

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

Perhaps even the idea of an upscale magazine in the mold of Vanity Fair is simply less meaningful in a contemporary media landscape where celebrities constantly churn out their own content and popular culture is fragmented across a landscape of mid-sized creators. —Max Tani, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025

Visitors can enjoy everything from gin-and-vermouth classics to innovative contemporary cocktails. —Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2025

Noun

His fiction, neither notably blood-soaked nor mythologically freighted, also differs starkly from the work of Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy, contemporaries who likewise were famously steeped in the West. —Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025

Elaine Hendrix and dancing pro Alan Bersten danced a contemporary. —Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 28 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 2b

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