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

At the auction house Phillips, every work sold includes a detailed condition report, said Olivia Thornton, the house’s head of modern and contemporary art, Europe.

From New York Times

“They are the vehicles who carry an army of souls of men and women who have been deported during slave trade, an army of dispossessed souls. They also represent the vast diaspora, the contemporary one.”

From Los Angeles Times

In Berlant’s view, irony is a key mode of expression in contemporary life because it showcases the gap between our ideals and the reality of our lived experience.

From Salon

Prioritizing a feeling over narrative sense is a daring risk in contemporary cinema, but with “Queer,” Guadagnino asserts that it’s a worthwhile one.

From Salon

According to the report, Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee members said in September the change was made to “be more contemporary.”

From Salon

Related Words

• new
• present-day