CONTEMPORARY Definition & Meaning

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contemporary

[ kuhn-tem-puh-rer-ee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

existing, occurring, or living at the same time; belonging to the same time:
Newton's discovery of the calculus was contemporary with that of Leibniz.
Synonyms: , ,
of about the same age or date:
a Georgian table with a contemporary wig stand.
of the present time; modern:
a lecture on the contemporary novel.

noun

plural contemporaries.

a person belonging to the same time or period with another or others.
a person of the same age as another.

contemporary

/ ��ə��ˈ��ɛ��ə��ɪ /

adjective

belonging to the same age; living or occurring in the same period of time
existing or occurring at the present time
conforming to modern or current ideas in style, fashion, design, etc
having approximately the same age as one another

noun

a person living at the same time or of approximately the same age as another
something that is contemporary
journalism a rival newspaper

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Usage

Since contemporary can mean either of the same period or of the present period, it is best to avoid this word where ambiguity might arise, as in a production of Othello in contemporary dress. Modern dress or Elizabethan dress should be used in this example to avoid ambiguity

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Derived Forms

��ǲ�ˈ�ٱ𳾱�ǰ��, adverb
��ǲ�ˈ�ٱ𳾱�ǰ��Ա��, noun

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Other �y��vlogs From

��ǲ�·�ٱ�p��·��i·�� adverb
��ǲ�·�ٱ�p��·��i·�Ա�� noun
�Դǲ�c�ǲ�·�ٱ�p��·��y adjective noun plural noncontemporaries
��ǲ��c�ǲ�·�ٱ�p��·��y adjective
�ܱ�t��·��ǲ�·�ٱ�p��·��y adjective noun plural ultracontemporaries
�ܲ�c�ǲ�·�ٱ�p��·��y adjective

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of contemporary¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin ��ǲԳٱ𳾱�ǰ��ܲ�, equivalent to Latin con- con- ( def ) + tempor- (stem of tempus “t��”; temporal ¹( def ) ) + -��ܲ� -ary ( def )

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of contemporary¹

C17: from Medieval Latin ��ǲԳٱ𳾱�ǰ��ܲ�, from Latin com- together + �ٱ𳾱�ǰ��ܲ� relating to time, from tempus time

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Synonym Study

Contemporary, contemporaneous, coeval, coincident all mean happening or existing at the same time. Contemporary often refers to persons or their acts or achievements: Hemingway and Fitzgerald, though contemporary, shared few values. Contemporaneous is applied chiefly to events: the rise of industrialism, contemporaneous with the spread of steam power. Coeval refers either to very long periods of time—an era or an eon—or to remote or long ago times: coeval stars, shining for millenia with equal brilliance; coeval with the dawning of civilization. Coincident means occurring at the same time but without causal or other relationships: prohibition, coincident with the beginning of the 1920s.

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Example Sentences

Guiraudie celebrates the frivolity of a steamy glance or a leering gaze, and “Misericordia” is no different, which is precisely why it’s such an exciting venture in the realm of contemporary queer filmmaking.

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It’s a beloved ingredient in French cuisine and many classic dishes, but it has fallen out of favor in contemporary cooking, especially in America.

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But it’s all the more imperative to read such work when the line between contemporary events and fiction blurs.

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This year marks another anniversary: 50 years ago, the philosopher Robert Nozick foresaw the themes of The Matrix – and much more about contemporary life – by proposing an intriguing thought experiment.

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He also founded a not-for-profit contemporary art space in Miami called El Espacio 23.

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