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: 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.

noun

plural

contemporaries 

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

Other Word Forms

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

Throughout the season, he proved his ability to take on a variety of dance styles ranging from contemporary to Bollywood.

From Los Angeles Times

And of course, she’s a great contemporary version of that.

From Los Angeles Times

In 1949, choreographer Jerome Robbins phoned Leonard Bernstein with an idea for updating “Romeo and Juliet” into a contemporary Broadway musical.

From Los Angeles Times

And in Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling contemporary epic “One Battle After Another,” it’s startling just how comforting a cinematic hand on the shoulder can be.

From Salon

They are "four very different artists offering an intriguing snapshot of contemporary art", the Times' art critic Nancy Durrant wrote, while the Telegraph's Alastair Sooke said they show "a bewildering medley of materials and approaches".

From BBC

Related Words

• new 
• present-day