contemporaneous

American  

[kuhn-tem-puh-rey-nee-uhs] / kənˌtɛm pəˈreɪ ni əs /

adjective

1. living or occurring during the same period of time; contemporary.

   Synonyms:

   concurrent, simultaneous

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contemporaneous British  

/ kənˌtɛmpəˈreɪnɪəs, kənˌtɛmpərəˈniːɪtɪ /

adjective

1. existing, beginning, or occurring in the same period of time

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Related Words

See contemporary.

Other Word Forms

• contemporaneity noun
• contemporaneously adverb
• contemporaneousness noun
• noncontemporaneous adjective
• noncontemporaneousness noun
• precontemporaneity noun
• precontemporaneous adjective
• uncontemporaneous adjective
• uncontemporaneousness noun

Etymology

Origin of contemporaneous

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin contemporāneus, equivalent to con- con- + tempor- (stem of tempus “time”) + -āneus ( -ān(us) -an + -eus -eous )

Explanation

If you're born on the same day as your friend, you've got a contemporaneous birthday, or one that happens in the same period of time. Contemporaneous comes from the Latin prefix con- meaning "together with" and temporaneus, meaning "time." Two contemporaneous events happen together in time. Richard Nixon's presidency and the first man on the moon are contemporaneous — both happened at the same period of time in history.

Example Sentences

But Mrs Justice Tipples said there was no contemporaneous evidence demonstrating the condition of the phone immediately before or after the incident.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

Witness accounts of contemporaneous conversations with the alleged victim were found to “lend support to her claims.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

And may a purchasing fund rely on a loan’s NAV as a “practical expedient” if it knows the actual price is lower in a contemporaneous transaction?

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

“In all our dealings with Mr. Sanberg, both directly and through his counsel, he provided information that was consistent with our review of contemporaneous documents and other evidence,” wrote Dave Anders of Wachtell Lipton.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

The deep antiquity of the Babylonian tradition is somewhat exaggerated, however: their most impressive work in mathematical astronomy dates after 300, roughly contemporaneous with developments in the Hellenistic world.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro