coincident

American  

[koh-in-si-duhnt] / koʊˈɪn sɪ dənt /

adjective

1. happening at the same time.

   Synonyms:

   synchronous, simultaneous

2. coinciding; occupying the same place or position.

3. exactly corresponding.

4. in exact agreement (usually followed bywith ).

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coincident British  

/ kəʊˈɪnsɪdənt /

adjective

1. having the same position in space or time

2. in exact agreement; consonant

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Related Words

See contemporary.

Other Word Forms

• noncoincident
  adjective
• precoincident
  adjective
• precoincidently
  adverb
• supercoincident
  adjective
• supercoincidently
  adverb
• uncoincident
  adjective
• uncoincidently
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of coincident

1555–65; < Medieval Latin coincident- (stem of coincidēns ) present participle of coincidere to coincide; see -ent

Explanation

Coincident describes any group of people, moments, or ideas that seem to work together so perfectly that it’s spooky or beautiful, like it’s part of a big logical plan. Coincident is a mix of the prefix co- (meaning “together” and “similar”) and an incident, which means "a noteworthy event." So when you have two similar noteworthy events that happen together, they are coincident with one other. Professional dancers have dance moves coincident with one another. If you immediately know the answer to a question your teacher asks, your knowledge is coincident with the lessons being taught. Congrats, smarty pants.

Example Sentences

In part, it’s a time capsule, recording the rise in the popularity of soul food, especially in northern cities, that was coincident with the Second Great Migration happening during this period.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Google search interest in “housing bubble” reached a peak in 2006, coincident with the highest precrisis level for the Case-Shiller home-price index.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 8, 2025

While volatility measures in the equity and bond markets ticked up in recent days, coincident with the selloff in frothy AI-related megacaps, they haven’t moved much on balance since the Oct.

From Barron's • Nov. 8, 2025

Investigators used a neonatal mouse model of coincident BPD and retinopathy to screen for candidate mediators.

From Science Daily • Dec. 11, 2023

The exception was the Parisian philosophers, for whom the centre of gravity of both the earth and the water remained coincident with the centre of the universe.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton