coeval

[ koh-ee-vuhl ]

adjective

1. of the same age, date, or duration; equally old:

   Analysis has proved that this manuscript is coeval with that one.

2. coincident:

   Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were only approximately coeval.

noun

1. a contemporary:

   He is more serious than his coevals.

coeval

/ ˌkəʊɪˈvælɪtɪ; kəʊˈiːvəl /

adjective

1. of or belonging to the same age or generation

noun

1. a contemporary

Derived Forms

• coˈevally, adverb
• coevality, noun

Other Words From

• co·e·val·i·ty [koh-i-, val, -i-tee], noun
• co·eval·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of coeval¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin coaev(us) (equivalent to co- “with, together” + -aevus, adjective derivative of aevum “age”) + -al adjective suffix; co-, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of coeval¹

C17: from Late Latin coaevus from Latin co- + aevum age

Synonym Study

See contemporary.

Example Sentences

Here, the medical phenomenon of vanishing twin syndrome, where one of a pair of conceived twins disappears before birth, stands in for the idea of a destructive other, the implication being that the same nature that produces genius in us contains a corrosive coeval that, unchecked, will be our undoing.

From New York Times

That coeval relationship between tenderness and violence continues to be evident in the artist’s turn from what the art collector and minority share owner of the Memphis Grizzlies Elliot Perry admiringly characterizes as “tough materials” to more ethereal pyrotechnics, which Lewis considers highly sculptural.

From New York Times

That coeval relationship between tenderness and violence continues to be evident in the artist’s turn from what the art collector and minority share owner of the Memphis Grizzlies Elliot Perry admiringly characterizes as “tough materials” to more ethereal pyrotechnics, which Lewis considers highly sculptural.

From New York Times

But the numbers tell a different story: Per capita consumption may have increased in recent years — from 13 pounds in 2011 to almost 20 in 2017 — but the average Mexican still only consumes one-fifth as much rice as his coeval in next-door Belize.

From New York Times

Parnell’s coeval, Michael Davitt, was 4 years old when his family was evicted from their cottage in famine-stricken County Mayo: “Michael, his father, mother, sister and a new baby just a few days old were all thrown out onto the roadside as their cottage was set on fire.”

From New York Times