contemporaneous
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See contemporary.
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing contemporaneous
Ides, Eon, Epoch, and Era: Time-related Words
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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This Week in Words: April 14 - 20, 2018
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Federal Reserve named a former Walmart CEO to a task force to develop contemporaneous data on spending, inflation and growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Well, there are numerous contemporaneous examples of reparation payments exacted by European states, so you tell me.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
In recent years, the central bank’s answer to these questions has largely been data dependence—using contemporaneous data to determine whether policy is overly restrictive or accommodative.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
They capture contemporaneous mood, instinct and private views.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
