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Contemporary can be confusing because of its slightly different meanings. In everyday use, it generally means simply "modern" or "new". But before the 20th century it instead referred only to things from the same era as certain other things; so, for instance, Jesus was contemporary with the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius, and Muhammad was contemporary with Pope Gregory the Great. And contemporary is also a noun: thus, Jane Austen's contemporaries included Coleridge and Wordsworth, and your own contemporaries were born around the same year that you were.
Synonyms
Examples of contemporary in a Sentence
Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Here, Mui and Lai zeroed in on this idea of simplicity with maxi skirts, easy separates, and their own contemporary version of the Hakka Liangmao hat.
—Vogue, 6 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for contemporary 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contemporary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Adjective
probably borrowed from New Latin contemporārius "existing at the same period of time," from Latin con- con- + tempor-, tempus "time" + -ārius -ary entry 2 — more at tempo
Note: The suffixation may be modeled on Latin temporārius; see temporary entry 1.
Noun
derivative of contemporary entry 1, or from nominal use of its probable source, New Latin contemporārius
Articles Related to contemporary
Dictionary Entries Near contemporary
Cite this Entry
“Contemporary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contemporary. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
contemporary
1 of 2 adjective
contemporary
2 of 2 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on contemporary
Nglish: Translation of contemporary for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of contemporary for Arabic Speakers
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