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
  • 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
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
  • This contemporary dispossession of Indigenous people fits into the long and violent history in which legal and extralegal measures are taken by those in power to forcibly remove Indigenous inhabitants from their land.
    Ryleigh Nucilli, Outside Online, 14 Nov. 2024
  • The tradition is centuries old and unique to the U.K., with some towns creating huge elaborate effigies of Guy Fawkes to be burned — sometimes instead building models of contemporary figures, including former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
    Patrick Smith, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Like those two office suites, Apple's productivity apps offer simultaneous co-editing with multiple authors, thanks to iCloud syncing.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Many of the starry, simultaneous campaign events will be featured as part of a national livestream show Monday night airing from the seven battleground states, a senior Harris campaign official said Saturday.
    Judy Kurtz, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The timing for her relocation from the U.S. to the Netherlands – also her first time living overseas – was coincidental.
    Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Any resemblance between himself and a real-life POTUS are, of course, coincidental.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near contemporaneous

Cite this Entry

“Contemporaneous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemporaneous. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on contemporaneous

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