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 Martinique’s contemporaneous Négritude movement made fruitful use of Surrealism alongside Marxism, colonial resistance, and an embrace of Blackness. Jack Denton, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024 Why were there multiple contemporaneous hominin species at Woranso-Mille and not at nearby Hadar? Donald C. Johanson, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024 There is also no reason to leap ahead and place Elendil and Isildur and the fall of Númenor as a contemporaneous saga rather than introduce these stories in a later season after a time-jump. Erik Kain, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for contemporaneous 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemporaneous
Adjective
  • The website adds that the service will still include 100+ channels, unlimited DVR storage to record shows and movies, up to 6 accounts per household, and 3 concurrent streams.
    Alex Perry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
  • That's about average, but BritBox notably supports five concurrent streams per account.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Captions must be accurate, synchronous with audio, complete and properly placed.
    Toby Wong, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
  • Protecting endangered fireflies for the future The synchronous fireflies at Congaree was a local secret for a long time.
    Pien Huang, NPR, 26 May 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
  • Whitehead has said that Elwood and Turner represent the two parts of him, the idealist (Elwood) and the cynic (Turner), whose intertwined perspectives inform his own view of race as a Black man making sense of contemporary America.
    K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Agatha All Along landed three nods, for excellence in contemporary television and sci-fi/fantasy television and costume illustration.
    Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • These waves are steady and simultaneous oscillations of electrical voltage in the cortex that happen during deep sleep.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Mangione matriculated to the University of Pennsylvania after high school, majoring in computer science for his bachelor’s degree and computer and information sciences in a simultaneous master’s, according to a university spokesperson.
    Jean Marbella, Baltimore Sun, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • After being exonerated for murder, the singer goes on a roaring rampage of revenge against an unnamed person and any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024
  • Israeli officials said the incident was coincidental and not based on intelligence.
    Barak Ravid, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near contemporaneous

Cite this Entry

“Contemporaneous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemporaneous. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on contemporaneous

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