I. kənˈtempəˌrerē, -ri adjective
Etymology: com- + Latin temporarius of time, temporary — more at temporary
1. : happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same time, sometimes during the same year, decade, century, or period as something else mentioned
Dante had put some contemporary popes in Hell — M.R.Cohen
Renaissance painting, which was contemporary with the great age of exploration — Lewis Mumford
and sometimes during the present
we are not without contemporary talent; but for works of genius we must still look to the past — Edith Wharton
the avenging on the contemporary woman of resentments inculcated by an earlier woman — Philip Wylie
2.
a. : occurring at the same moment : simultaneous
contemporary turns of two wheels
b. : having existed through the same period : originating at the same time
contemporary rock strata
3. : of or as though of the present period : marked by characteristics compatible with being of the present period ; sometimes : advanced , modern , up-to-date : au courant
peculiarly contemporary in his anxiety, his longing for a faith — Alfred Kazin
Synonyms:
contemporaneous , simultaneous , synchronous , coeval , coetaneous , coincident , concomitant , concurrent : contemporary , indicating, like the others, existence or incidence at the same time, is likely to be used in reference to years, decades, lifetimes, and similar time spans
Faraday's work on electricity coupled with Joseph Henry's exactly contemporary research on the electromagnet — Lewis Mumford
contemporary with those intermediaries, or following hard upon them, were the great missionaries or converters — H.O.Taylor
There is little difference between contemporary and the less common contemporaneous
the A. F. of L. was closer to contemporaneous British labor organizations than to the American Knights of Labor — Allan Nevins & H.S.Commager
simultaneous is likely to describe occurrence of two things at precisely the same minute or within the same limited period of time
the three men, deftly timing the roll, made a simultaneous leap aboard the schooner — Jack London
control of the air involves the simultaneous use of two types of planes — first, the long-range heavy bomber; second, light bombers, dive bombers, torpedo planes — F.D.Roosevelt
synchronous may describe continuing action taking place over somewhat longer periods
French speech has run a similar and almost synchronous course with English — Havelock Ellis
coeval may be used in reference to periods, ages, eras, eons
if the meteorites represent fragments of the solar system, we may conclude that the system is coeval with the Earth — F.L.Whipple
coetaneous , a close synonym of coeval , may suggest origination at the same time
the Alleghenies and other coetaneous mountain chains
coincident refers to occurrences, events, incidents, developments taking place at the same time but may minimize ideas of causal relationship
the growth of the mine union movement was coincident with the growth of business and manufacturing — T.R.Hay
concomitant describes a development taking place at the same time but one of subordinate incidental character
a bite from any carnivorous animal is likely to lead to some measure of concomitant poisoning — Discovery
concomitant with the creation of these new rhythms came … “the dance craze” — Oscar Hammerstein b 1895
concurrent may add to the idea of occurrence at the same time the notion of accord, agreement, fitness between the things involved
great cultural achievements have not been inevitably, or even generally, concurrent with great material power — Lyman Bryson
II. noun
( -es )
1. : one that is contemporary with another
Petrarch and Chaucer were contemporaries
2. : one of the same or nearly the same age as another
3. : a newspaper or periodical contemporary with another