as in companions
a person who lives at the same time or is about the same age as another
Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were exact contemporaries, actually being born on the same day in 1809
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Recent Examples of contemporaries
Although only two Pac-12 teams sit among the top 10, the conference still is relatively loaded compared to its contemporaries.
—
Darin Oswald, Idaho Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
Ahead of the Artemis 2 launch from the Kennedy Space Center, here's a look at how the rocket compares in size to not only Starship, but its Saturn V predecessor and other contemporaries.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
What distinguished Fetchit from many of his contemporaries was his gift for self-promotion.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
The Venue at Thunder Valley seats about 4,500 people, a fraction of the capacity of the stadiums that still host many of Dylan’s contemporaries like Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
With his howitzer groundstrokes, potent serve and developing feel, Fonseca is less primed to upset top players now than some of his contemporaries.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Tomkins borrowed the title from a sixteenth-century publication by Giorgio Vasari, a painter and an architect who chronicled the lives of Cimabue, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Giotto, and many other predecessors and contemporaries.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Scharf, who grew up in the Valley before making his way to New York City, first gained acclaim in the ‘80s East Village art scene alongside his friends and contemporaries Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, his former roommate.
—Pamela Chelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
From old-world classics to their sophisticated contemporaries, London’s hotel landscape is endlessly varied.
—Katharine Sohn, Architectural Digest, 20 Mar. 2026
Darin Oswald, Idaho Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
Ahead of the Artemis 2 launch from the Kennedy Space Center, here's a look at how the rocket compares in size to not only Starship, but its Saturn V predecessor and other contemporaries.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
What distinguished Fetchit from many of his contemporaries was his gift for self-promotion.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
The Venue at Thunder Valley seats about 4,500 people, a fraction of the capacity of the stadiums that still host many of Dylan’s contemporaries like Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
With his howitzer groundstrokes, potent serve and developing feel, Fonseca is less primed to upset top players now than some of his contemporaries.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Tomkins borrowed the title from a sixteenth-century publication by Giorgio Vasari, a painter and an architect who chronicled the lives of Cimabue, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Giotto, and many other predecessors and contemporaries.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Scharf, who grew up in the Valley before making his way to New York City, first gained acclaim in the ‘80s East Village art scene alongside his friends and contemporaries Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, his former roommate.
—Pamela Chelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
From old-world classics to their sophisticated contemporaries, London’s hotel landscape is endlessly varied.
—Katharine Sohn, Architectural Digest, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemporaries
Noun
-
Other traditional bean companions, such as petunias or garlic, may yet be proven effective in future studies.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
3 Apr. 2026
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She is thrust into an extraordinary journey that will take her all the way to the surface, accompanied by her colorful, loyal and unlikely companions.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
How Charlotte salaries compares to other NC cities Most of Charlotte’s top employees make more than their counterparts across the state.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
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And make no mistake, the competition isn’t just on the field this year, as the Yankees are looking up at their counterparts at Citi Field who were just voted to have the best baseball stadium food in USA Today’s most recent Readers’ Choice Awards.—
Andy Clayton,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The women had been made to sit silently in the gallery while the male attendees debated whether they should be allowed to participate as equals.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
While the Chicago retail footprint isn’t expected to grow, O’Rourke believes the merger of relative equals will help both banks continue to build business.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Contemporaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemporaries. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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