1
as in concurrent
existing or occurring at the same period of time
the absurd notion that early cave dwellers were contemporary with the dinosaurs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in modern
being or involving the latest methods, concepts, information, or styles
a magazine devoted to contemporary fashions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in companion
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 contemporary
Ashlea Halpern, AFAR Media, 1 Aug. 2025
The team also compared the tunes of 26 individual seals to other vocal species including humpback whales, bottlenose dolphins and squirrel monkeys, as well as different styles of music – baroque, classical, romantic, contemporary and Beatles songs.
—New Atlas, 1 Aug. 2025
John McDermott, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2025
When introduced, Porsche’s giant killer was small, light, and nimble compared to most of its contemporaries, but also less powerful than all but a few.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemporary
Adjective
The town’s biggest destination is Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), a 19th-century factory mill complex turned the country’s largest contemporary art museum.
—Ashlea Halpern, AFAR Media, 1 Aug. 2025
The team also compared the tunes of 26 individual seals to other vocal species including humpback whales, bottlenose dolphins and squirrel monkeys, as well as different styles of music – baroque, classical, romantic, contemporary and Beatles songs.
—New Atlas, 1 Aug. 2025
Noun
Pegas, though, isn’t interested in having his contemporaries’ work subsumed by the Penguins and Random Houses of the world.
—John McDermott, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2025
When introduced, Porsche’s giant killer was small, light, and nimble compared to most of its contemporaries, but also less powerful than all but a few.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contemporary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemporary
Adjective
-
The concurrent blazes killed 30 people and destroyed more than 16,200 buildings – compared to 85 and 18,800 for the Camp inferno, which wiped out the Northern California town of Paradise.—
Jorge L. Ortiz,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
-
In Father of the Bride Part II, Annie (played by Kimberly Williams-Paisley) and her mom Nina (portrayed by Diane Keaton) also have concurrent pregnancies.—
Luke Chinman,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Climate control systems can monitor and regulate all the inputs in modern greenhouses and hoop houses.—
Julie Weed,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
-
Think of it as the breezy, modern little sister to her grand estate up the hill.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
Eckhardt’s Senate companion bill was referred to the Finance Committee but has not yet received a hearing.—
Alex Driggars,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
Was the genesis of WWE: Unreal sort of a Netflix demand as a companion program to Raw?—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
29 July 2025
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
-
Ella Stiller, the daughter of Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, was introduced as a new character on last week's episode of SATC sequel series And Just Like That.—
Ryan Coleman Updated,
EW.com,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Why bother, when there’s a big and growing market out there for innovative ways to link up pets, pet lovers and new technology?—
Russell Flannery,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Squeeze the throttle pedal firmly to the carpet and the engine room answers with more forward thrust, the 9-speed kicking down several gears nearly instantly, and the car rushing onward with accompaniment of a classic but subtle straight six yowl.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
-
The bass response is rich, buttery, and natural, while the warm yet clear top end provides pristine detail for a brilliant accompaniment across your catalog.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
Schools will be closed and students will have a synchronous eLearning day from home, school district officials announced Monday afternoon.—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Feb. 2025
-
That’s highly synchronous, resulting in many, many animals making that migration simultaneously.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Those traits are evident now in his younger counterpart.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
28 July 2025
-
Losing patience with Putin, Trump has accused his Russian counterpart of being open to a ceasefire during private conversations, only to carry out attacks on Ukraine afterward.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contemporary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemporary. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share