contemporary

B2 Topic:Time

Also spelled cotemporaries

US /kənˈtɛm.pəˌɹɛɹ.i/ UK /kənˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.ɹi/
adj noun Freq #11443

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    Belonging to the present time; modern.

    She is one of the most influential figures in contemporary art.

  2. 2
    adj

    Living or happening in the same period of time as someone or something else.

    Dickens was contemporary with the rise of the railways.

  3. 3
    noun

    A person living or active in the same period as another.

    Cervantes was a contemporary of Shakespeare.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · belonging to the present... currentmodernpresent-day
2 adj · living or happening in the... coevalcontemporaneous
3 noun · a person living or active... coeval
More coetaneouscoincidentcotemporalcotemporaneous
Opposites
noncontemporaryuncontemporary
Word family
Forms contemporaries
Derived forms contemporarilycontemporarinesscontemporizenoncontemporarypenecontemporaryprecontemporaryultracontemporaryuncontemporary
Related forms penecontemporarypresent

Common collocations

Etymology

From Medieval Latin contemporārius, from Latin con- (“with, together”) + temporārius, an adjective derived from tempus (“time”).

View etymology graph ->

Topics

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