What does "contemporary" mean?
Someone or something belonging to the same time period (as someone or something else)
Contemporary
/kənˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.ɹi/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Someone or something belonging to the same time period (as someone or something else)
- Grammar: contemporary is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: coeval, a la mode, abreast, accompanying.
- Useful contrasts: noncontemporary, uncontemporary, academical.
- Usage evidence: The professor is familiar with contemporary literature.
How to use "contemporary"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "contemporary" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "contemporary" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "contemporary" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "contemporary" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "contemporary" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "coeval" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "contemporary", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Someone or something belonging to the same time period (as someone or something else)
"Cervantes was a contemporary of Shakespeare."
- 2 a person of nearly the same age as another wordnet
- 3 Something existing at the same time.
- 4 Something existing at the same time.; A rival newspaper or magazine. dated
"Annexation therefore was inevitable; but (as I have said above) it was not necessarily of prime importance in our national policy, and there has been no need to exaggerate—as I fear many of our contemporaries have exaggerated— […]"
Adjective
- 1 From the same time period, coexistent in time; contemporaneous.
"A neighb'ring Wood born with himself he sees, / And loves his old contemporary trees."
- 2 Modern, of the present age (shorthand for ‘contemporary with the present’).
"We live our lives in three dimensions for our threescore and ten allotted years. Yet every branch of contemporary science, from statistics to cosmology, alludes to processes that operate on scales outside of human experience: the millisecond and the nanometer, the eon and the light-year."
Adjective
- 1 belonging to the present time wordnet
- 2 characteristic of the present wordnet
- 3 occurring in the same period of time wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The professor is familiar with contemporary literature."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "contemporary"?
Common synonyms include: coeval, a la mode, abreast, accompanying, actual, actual outcome.
How do you use "contemporary" in a sentence?
The professor is familiar with contemporary literature.
How do you pronounce "contemporary"?
Pronounced /kənˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.ɹi/.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin contemporārius, from Latin con- (“with, together”) + temporārius, an adjective derived from tempus (“time”).