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contemporary

American  

[kuhn-tem-puh-rer-ee] / kənˈtɛm pəˌrɛr i /

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:

   simultaneous, concurrent, coexistent

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.

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noun

• contemporaries
  plural

1. a person belonging to the same time or period with another or others.

2. a person of the same age as another.

contemporary British  

/ 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

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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

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• contemporariness
  noun
• noncontemporary
  adjective
• postcontemporary
  adjective
• ultracontemporary
  adjective
• uncontemporary
  adjective
• contemporarily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contemporaries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of contemporary

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

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Explanation

Things that are contemporary are either happening at the same time or happening now. Contemporary art is recent art. In history class, if you hear that one famous person was a contemporary of another, that means they lived at the same time. Contemporaries are people and things from the same time period. Contemporary can also describe things happening now or recently. It's common to speak of contemporary music or contemporary furniture, for example. Those things are new, not old. Anything characteristic of the present day can be called contemporary.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contemporary contemporaries

After all, it was widely viewed as contradictory of the group, which has been vehemently outspoken on various contemporary issues, including what the U.N.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

For its first album since 2020, the Australian trio draws on a wide array of music samples to craft a record that feels at once nostalgic and contemporary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

That contemporary disconnect is what makes Greaves’ documentary that more profound.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

The contemporary structure, which has large irregular-shaped windows and a natural outdoor pool, looks similar to the landmark Cow and Calf Rocks in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

The formation of the Roman state and the expansion of the Macedonian Empire under Alexander were described in detail by contemporary classical authors.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

“If you think about who her contemporaries and peers are, there’s something quite radical about her putting her body in so much of that work, especially that early work,” Grossman said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The primary difference between Hartnett and his contemporaries, though, was that Hartnett could hold his own on screen.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

This includes direct matchups against those contemporaries, 288 wins, some very impressive postseason wins and stats, and including shutouts that match those of other pitchers of his time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Most of her new co-workers are far younger, though Lee’s noticed a few who appear to be her contemporaries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

They were patronized by their married contemporaries, they were vaguely felt sorry for, and were produced to date any stray extra man who happened to be visiting their friends.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

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Related Words

• new
• present-day

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