contemporary

[ kuhn-tem-puh-rer-ee ]

adjective

1. existing, occurring, or living at the same time; belonging to the same time:

   Newton's discovery of the calculus was contemporary with that of Leibniz.

   Synonyms: coexistent, simultaneous, concurrent

2. of about the same age or date:

   a Georgian table with a contemporary wig stand.

3. of the present time; modern:

   a lecture on the contemporary novel.

noun

, plural con·tem·po·rar·ies.

1. a person belonging to the same time or period with another or others.
2. a person of the same age as another.

contemporary

/ kənˈtɛmprərɪ /

adjective

1. belonging to the same age; living or occurring in the same period of time
2. existing or occurring at the present time
3. conforming to modern or current ideas in style, fashion, design, etc
4. having approximately the same age as one another

noun

1. a person living at the same time or of approximately the same age as another
2. something that is contemporary
3. journalism a rival newspaper

Usage

Since contemporary can mean either of the same period or of the present period, it is best to avoid this word where ambiguity might arise, as in a production of Othello in contemporary dress. Modern dress or Elizabethan dress should be used in this example to avoid ambiguity

Derived Forms

• conˈtemporarily, adverb
• conˈtemporariness, noun

Other Words From

• con·tempo·rari·ly adverb
• con·tempo·rari·ness noun
• noncon·tempo·rary adjective noun plural noncontemporaries
• postcon·tempo·rary adjective
• ultra·con·tempo·rary adjective noun plural ultracontemporaries
• uncon·tempo·rary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of contemporary¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin contemporārius, equivalent to Latin con- con- ( def ) + tempor- (stem of tempus “time”; temporal ¹( def ) ) + -ārius -ary ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of contemporary¹

C17: from Medieval Latin contemporārius, from Latin com- together + temporārius relating to time, from tempus time

Synonym Study

Contemporary, contemporaneous, coeval, coincident all mean happening or existing at the same time. Contemporary often refers to persons or their acts or achievements: Hemingway and Fitzgerald, though contemporary, shared few values. Contemporaneous is applied chiefly to events: the rise of industrialism, contemporaneous with the spread of steam power. Coeval refers either to very long periods of time—an era or an eon—or to remote or long ago times: coeval stars, shining for millenia with equal brilliance; coeval with the dawning of civilization. Coincident means occurring at the same time but without causal or other relationships: prohibition, coincident with the beginning of the 1920s.

Example Sentences

In that way, Chu takes a stab at making a blockbuster for our times, one that doesn’t shy away from contending with the darkness of contemporary politics and society.

From Salon

Music has always had strong emotional impact on human listeners in both contemporary and ancient cultures, hence its use in ritual religious and mythological contexts.

From Science Daily

One striking thing about the film is how contemporary and diverse it feels.

From BBC

Mr. Frommer was selling 300,000 copies of his guide every year by the mid-1960s; by some contemporary accounts, they represented a quarter to a third of all European guidebooks sold in the United States.

From New York Times

During his tenure Shklyarov had impressed with contemporary and classical ballets alike, ranging from “The Nutcracker” and “Don Quixote” to George Balanchine’s “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux” and “Jewels.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• new
• present-day