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contemporary definition

con·tem·po·rary (kən tem′pə rer′ē)

adjective

  1. living or happening in the same period of time
  2. of about the same age
  3. of or in the style of the present or recent times; modern

Etymology: < L com-, with + temporarius, of time < tempus, time: see temper

noun pl. contemporaries -·rar′·ies

  1. a person living in the same period as another or others
  2. a person or thing of about the same age or date of origin as another

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

contemporary Synonyms

contemporary

modif.

  1. Occurring at the same time

    contemporaneous, synchronous, coeval, simultaneous, coexistent, coincident, concurrent, co-occurring, synchronal, synchronic, coetaneous, coexisting; see also simultaneous.

  2. Current

    modern, present, up-to-date, à la mode; see modern 1, 3.

contemporary and contemporaneous both mean existing or happening at the same period of time, contemporary (often applied to the present) referring more often to persons or their works, and contemporaneous, to events; coeval implies extension over the same period of time when a remote time or very long duration is involved; synchronous implies exact correspondence in time of occurrence or rate of movement; simultaneous implies occurrence at the same brief interval of time


contemporary

n.

peer, coeval, fellow, counterpart; see equal.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

contemporary Usage Examples

Preposition: with

  • event: His sources are generally firsthand accounts contemporary with the events, even down to Punch magazines of the 1800s.

Modifies a noun

  • art: Who says there is no appetite for contemporary art?

Modifying Another Word

  • strikingly: Their shop takes its name from an ammonite found in Dorset, eons old, but the work on display here is strikingly contemporary.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: Paradoxically, much older work can seem contemporary if it addresses a sense of political drift.
contemporary usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

contemporary quotes

I occasionally play works by contemporary composers and for two reasons. First, to discourage the composer from writing any more, and secondly to remind myself how much I appreciate Beethoven.

-Heifetz,Jascha

   Thetechnologyofdecentralization can bethesaviouror assassin of contemporary and future society. The role of architects may be uncertain, but the role of architecture is not. In order to look forward society may sometimes haveto look back.This it should do inorder to learnfrom previous mistakes and oversights and to preclude similar eventualities in the future. This does not imply historical dependency, as some would assert. The symbiosis of architecture and technology should prevail, engendered by honesty and integrity. The task will not be easy.

-Murphy, Ian

contemporary quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"contemporary." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/contemporary>

APA Style

contemporary. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/contemporary

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