coeval 1 of 2

coeval

2 of 2

noun

as in contemporary
a person who lives at the same time or is about the same age as another somewhat surprisingly, Saint Patrick and Attila the Hun were coevals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective coeval differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of coeval are coincident, contemporaneous, contemporary, simultaneous, and synchronous. While all these words mean "existing or occurring at the same time," coeval refers usually to periods, ages, eras, eons.

two stars thought to be coeval

In what contexts can coincident take the place of coeval?

While the synonyms coincident and coeval are close in meaning, 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

When can contemporaneous be used instead of coeval?

The synonyms contemporaneous and coeval are sometimes interchangeable, but contemporaneous is more often applied to events than to people.

contemporaneous accounts of the kidnapping

When could contemporary be used to replace coeval?

The meanings of contemporary and coeval largely overlap; however, contemporary is likely to apply to people and what relates to them.

Abraham Lincoln was contemporary with Charles Darwin

When would simultaneous be a good substitute for coeval?

In some situations, the words simultaneous and coeval are roughly equivalent. However, simultaneous implies correspondence in a moment of time.

the two shots were simultaneous

Where would synchronous be a reasonable alternative to coeval?

The words synchronous and coeval can be used in similar contexts, but 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 coeval
Adjective
Their personalities and their pain are made almost exactly coeval, with little telling slippage between. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023 Her letters to Bradley demonstrate that the idea was coeval with her wish to be a poet and her discovery of romantic feeling for girls, and that it was fully formed as early as her adolescence. Langdon Hammer, The New York Review of Books, 25 Feb. 2020 Tribalism and clannishness are coeval with human social life. Stephen Holmes, The New York Review of Books, 17 Jan. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coeval
Adjective
  • The event peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, with 38 million concurrent streams in the US.
    Joe Otterson, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024
  • Of that tally, 38 million concurrent streams came from the US.
    Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The work consisted of eighteen professional black-and-white headshots of his artist contemporaries, including Sherman, Holzer, Jeff Koons, and Robert Longo.
    Natasha Degen, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Guests in attendance to support the designer included Omar Apollo, Darren Chris, and Susanne Bartsch, design contemporaries including Raul Zepol of Luar (a fellow 2024 winner) and Christian Siriano, and industry mainstays such as Julie Gilhart, Alton Mason, Paloma Elsesser, and Alex Consani.
    Freya Drohan, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • In contrast, with synchronous generators the output waveform is determined by the physical and electrical characteristics of the generator.
    Benjamin Kroposki, IEEE Spectrum, 13 Apr. 2024
  • More than half the day has to be live in order for it to be considered synchronous.
    Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Jan. 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 debate over executive power, as recorded in contemporaneous journals, letters and articles, is difficult to follow, like watching a soccer match played with three balls and no referees.
    Joseph J. Ellis, The Mercury News, 31 Oct. 2024
  • 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

Podcast

Thesaurus Entries Near coeval

Cite this Entry

“Coeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coeval. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!