The professor is familiar with contemporary literature.
Source: tatoeba (48673)
Contemporary
/kənˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.ɹi/
Synonyms for "contemporary" (279 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (10)
Strong matches (15)
ahead of its timeas isassociatedattendantattendingau courantavant gardeavant-gardebeingcoetaneouscoeternalcoeval
Noun(2 words)
be presentbeing present
Adjective(1 words)
Related words (25)
Adjective(5 words)
Adjective(3 words)
Noun(4 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: coeval, a la mode, abreast, accompanying, actual.
- Sentence evidence is available for contemporary, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "contemporary".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "contemporary"
Keep "contemporary" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "contemporary" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "contemporary", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "contemporary" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
8 entriesMore specific
6 entriesCollocations
7 entriescontemporary artcontemporary culturecontemporary issuescontemporary literaturecontemporary musiccontemporary societycontemporary world
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
5 entriessimilar
5 entriesTranslations
38 translations across 28 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- σύγχρονος noun (someone living at the same time)
Armenian
1 entries- ժամանակակից noun (someone living at the same time)
Azerbaijani
3 entries- həməsr noun (someone living at the same time)
- müasir noun (someone living at the same time)
- çağdaş noun (someone living at the same time)
Bulgarian
2 entries- съвреме́нник noun (someone living at the same time)
- съвреме́нница noun (someone living at the same time)
Catalan
1 entries- contemporani noun (someone living at the same time)
Czech
2 entries- současnice noun (someone living at the same time)
- současník noun (someone living at the same time)
Dutch
2 entries- tijdgenoot noun (someone living at the same time)
- tijdgenote noun (someone living at the same time)
Finnish
1 entries- aikalainen noun (someone living at the same time)
French
1 entries- contemporain noun (someone living at the same time)
Georgian
1 entries- თანამედროვე noun (someone living at the same time)
German
2 entries- Zeitgenosse noun (someone living at the same time)
- Zeitgenossin noun (someone living at the same time)
Greek
1 entries- σύγχρονο noun (someone living at the same time)
Hungarian
1 entries- kortárs noun (someone living at the same time)
Icelandic
2 entries- jafnaldri noun (someone living at the same time)
- samtíðarmaður noun (someone living at the same time)
Irish
1 entries- comhaois noun (someone living at the same time)
Italian
1 entries- contemporaneo noun (someone living at the same time)
Kyrgyz
1 entries- замандаш noun (someone living at the same time)
Macedonian
1 entries- современик noun (someone living at the same time)
Malay
1 entries- sezaman noun (someone living at the same time)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- hevçax noun (someone living at the same time)
Portuguese
1 entries- contemporâneo noun (someone living at the same time)
Romanian
1 entries- contemporan noun (someone living at the same time)
Russian
2 entries- совреме́нник noun (someone living at the same time)
- совреме́нница noun (someone living at the same time)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- comhaois noun (someone living at the same time)
Spanish
1 entries- contemporáneo noun (someone living at the same time)
Tagalog
1 entries- kapanahon noun (someone living at the same time)
Turkish
2 entries- çağcıl noun (someone living at the same time)
- çağdaş noun (someone living at the same time)
Ukrainian
2 entries- сучасник noun (someone living at the same time)
- сучасниця noun (someone living at the same time)
Sample sentences
20 total sentences available.
Scott was a contemporary of Byron.
Source: tatoeba (51996)
Shakespeare was a contemporary of Marlowe.
Source: tatoeba (53876)
I must admit I don't like much contemporary music.
Source: tatoeba (257284)
Showing 4 of 20 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "contemporary"?
Closest matches include coeval, a la mode, abreast, accompanying, actual.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "contemporary"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.