Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective contemporaneous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of contemporaneous are coeval, coincident, contemporary, simultaneous, and synchronous. While all these words mean "existing or occurring at the same time," contemporaneous is more often applied to events than to people.

contemporaneous accounts of the kidnapping

When is coeval a more appropriate choice than contemporaneous?

While in some cases nearly identical to contemporaneous, coeval refers usually to periods, ages, eras, eons.

two stars thought to be coeval

When can coincident be used instead of contemporaneous?

In some situations, the words coincident and contemporaneous are roughly equivalent. However, coincident is applied to events and may be used in order to avoid implication of causal relationship.

the end of World War II was coincident with a great vintage year

Where would contemporary be a reasonable alternative to contemporaneous?

Although the words contemporary and contemporaneous have much in common, contemporary is likely to apply to people and what relates to them.

Abraham Lincoln was contemporary with Charles Darwin

When is it sensible to use simultaneous instead of contemporaneous?

The meanings of simultaneous and contemporaneous largely overlap; however, simultaneous implies correspondence in a moment of time.

the two shots were simultaneous

When would synchronous be a good substitute for contemporaneous?

The words synchronous and contemporaneous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, synchronous implies exact correspondence in time and especially in periodic intervals.

synchronous timepieces

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contemporaneous However, contemporaneous news reports from 1989 indicate that Walz was in Nebraska, his home state, as the massacre unfolded, Minnesota Public Radio reported this week. Gabe Kaminsky, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Oct. 2024 The process started with great optimism, based on contemporaneous notes taken by the Plastic Pollution Coalition, one of the large nonprofit groups involved in and closely monitoring the treaty talks. Dylan Scott, Vox, 24 Sep. 2024 The wavy, sinuous forms that appear in O’Keeffe’s contemporaneous abstractions are confined only to the sky here, where rows of clouds threaten to cover the moon. Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 12 Sep. 2024 In a statistical analysis of nearly two million State Department cables sent in the 1970s, for instance, one recent study demonstrated that U.S. diplomats were often bad at estimating the historical importance of contemporaneous events. J. Peter Scoblic, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020 See all Example Sentences for contemporaneous 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemporaneous
Adjective
  • What? Turns out Paris’s and Ellie’s timelines are actually not concurrent.
    Laura Bradley, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024
  • At the top of that list would have been Edmund Wilson, whose reviews ran concurrent with hers in The New Republic.
    Sloane Crosley, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The difference between synchronous between asynchronous learning A synchronous learning day means that the virtual learning still has a live element to it.
    Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Jan. 2024
  • Online students can take advantage of synchronous opportunities to build community with their instructors and peers.
    Doug Wintemute, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • With a lockable synchronic-tilt mechanism and special Z-Shape design, the Kaiser 2 can accommodate a weight up to 180kg, quite a bit more than normal mechanisms on office chairs and the back can be reclined to an angle of 160 degrees which can be locked when not in rocking mode.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2021
  • For his last runway collection, unveiled in September, Michele constructed a parallel universe of side-by-side shows separated by a wall that when lifted revealed twins in identical looks in synchronic stride.
    Colleen Barry, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2022
Adjective
  • The timing of these changes were roughly coincident with clarification of Information Blocking rules and Epic’s introduction of its own competing product.
    Seth Joseph, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
  • Another suggestion is that there were two more or less coincident eruptions, one each in northern and southern hemispheres.
    Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 26 July 2011
Adjective
  • The film tells the story of Manish Chauhan, who was tutored by an Israeli dance instructor and went on to perform with a contemporary company in New York.
    Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
  • To prevent future crises, world leaders are trying to even out the balance sheet… Integrating the Americas: FTAA and Beyond; Free Trade and the Environment: Mexico, NAFTA, and Beyond Free trade agreements are the contemporary equivalent of security alliances.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Zoom out: The Harris campaign held simultaneous Vote for Freedom rallies across the country, from Atlanta to Las Vegas and Milwaukee.
    Mike D'Onofrio, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
  • The Vote for Freedom rally is the campaign’s final Get Out The Vote effort before Election Day on Tuesday and is part of a simultaneous organizing of events the campaign is holding in seven battleground states to capture grassroots enthusiasm and mobilize voters.
    Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • This pattern of growth in cities like Houston, Atlanta, and DC isn’t coincidental.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 4 Nov. 2024
  • His highlighting Trump’s remark may not have been coincidental.
    Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near contemporaneous

Cite this Entry

“Contemporaneous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemporaneous. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on contemporaneous

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