concomitant

1 of 2

adjective

con·​com·​i·​tant kən-ˈkä-mə-tənt How to pronounce concomitant (audio)
kän-
: accompanying especially in a subordinate or incidental way
concomitantly adverb

concomitant

2 of 2

noun

con·​com·​i·​tant kən-ˈkä-mə-tənt How to pronounce concomitant (audio)
kän-
: something that accompanies or is collaterally connected with something else : accompaniment

Did you know?

Concomitant was introduced into English at a time when many people were criticizing the use of Latinate forms in favor of more "native" words from Old English. As a descendant of Latin concomitari ("to accompany") and ultimately of "comes," the Latin word for companion, "concomitant" may well have been initially derided as an ostentatious inkhorn term. Indeed, two associated words, the verb concomitate, meaning "to accompany," and another adjective, concomitaneous, meaning "of a concomitant nature," didn't survive to accompany "concomitant" into the 18th century.

Examples of concomitant in a Sentence

Adjective … Christopher Walken delivers his customary edge without any of his clichéd, concomitant weirdness. Stephen Whitty, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Feb. 1999
The Lincoln and Johnson plans for settling the problems of peace and freedom never seriously touched on the concomitant problem of equality. John Hope Franklin, "The Two Worlds of Race," 1965, in Race and History1989
But it was observed that this pill would be peculiarly bitter to the Southern States, and that some concomitant measure should be adopted to sweeten it a little to them. Thomas Jefferson 4 Feb. 1818, in Thomas Jefferson: Writings1984
The drug's risks increase with the concomitant use of alcohol. an improvement in the facilities led to a concomitant improvement in morale Noun In the local bickering which was a concomitant of the grand campaigns of the wars, there may have been considerable fighting around fortifications, even if on a relatively small and brief scale. Anthony Goodman, The War of the Roses, (1981) 1996
… there is a demand for schools, professional services, and such other concomitants of a full society as courthouses and jails. Anthony Bailey, New Yorker, 25 May 1987
hunger, a lack of education, and other concomitants of poverty disease is all too often one of the concomitants of poverty
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
This will further safeguard Connecticut’s fiscal health from economic downturns and wild spending sprees and concomitant tax hikes that shoved our state to the brink of fiscal disaster in the past. State Senator Stephen Harding, Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2024 Even as Mayor Adams struggles on many fronts, even though all this may be happening largely because COVID and its concomitant disruptions keep fading, the bending of this trendline is the sign of a mayoralty with a beating heart. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2024
Noun
Early capitalism and its disciplinary concomitant, the then-nascent field of political economy, understood workers not as people, with a craving for vastness, but as animals, who aspire to nothing more ornate than subsistence. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024 Since Season 2, nearly every episode has inspired concomitant think pieces. Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 28 May 2023 See all Example Sentences for concomitant 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'concomitant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Latin concomitant-, concomitans, present participle of concomitari to accompany, from com- + comitari to accompany, from comit-, comes companion — more at count

First Known Use

Adjective

1607, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1621, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of concomitant was in 1607

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Dictionary Entries Near concomitant

Cite this Entry

“Concomitant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concomitant. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

concomitant

adjective
con·​com·​i·​tant
kən-ˈkäm-ət-ənt,
kän-
: accompanying especially as something of less importance
concomitant noun
concomitantly adverb

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