coeval 1 of 2

Definition of coevalnext

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

Example 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
One operation persisted fourteen hours, a sort of sci-fi marvel of science, internal engineering, and medical dedication, contra all the coeval dystopian breakdowns of that first COVID year. Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026 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
Noun
The universal hatred comes from the child star’s coevals, whose curiosity about the occupation is mingled with resentment. Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coeval
Adjective
  • TheBurntPeanut is the #1 Twitch streamer and gaming personality, with more than three million followers, 300 million views and over 150,000 peak concurrent viewers across platforms including YouTube and Twitch.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 14 May 2026
  • Murdaugh is also serving a concurrent 40-year sentence for his federal conviction on 22 charges that included bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Noun
  • Instead, the expert believes that the gifted portraitist and Turner contemporary John Opie painted the 24-year-old artist in circa 1799.
    Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
  • At the helm is Bill Duplissea, known as ‘Duper’ to his contemporaries.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
Adjective
  • The event takes place around the Elkmont Campground, one of the best places to see the synchronous sparkles in the Smokies.
    Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2026
  • Unlike other parks that offer synchronous firefly viewings, Grandfather Glows tickets are per individual, not car.
    Eva Flowe May 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
Adjective
  • Regional banks bounced a bit, still down a couple percent on the week, as Thursday’s flush lower amid a few separate but coincident credit hiccups exacerbated underlying unease with the opaque and possibly lax lending across private credit and among smaller commercial banks.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The coincident new Moon contributes no light pollution, making 2025 ideal for Orionid viewing.
    Big Think, Big Think, 13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • There is no denying her perceptiveness, and her contemporaneous letters to her husband’s successor, Andrew Johnson—mostly attempts to secure positions for Lincoln loyalists—do not suggest a woman mentally finished off by yet more grief and loss.
    Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
  • The announcement comes a day before the start of Art-A-Whirl and Bauhaus' contemporaneous celebration, the Liquid Zoo.
    Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 14 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Coeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coeval. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

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