Synonyms of contemporaneous

contemporaneous

adjective

kən-ˌtem-pə-ˈrā-nē-əs 

as in concurrent

existing or occurring at the same period of time

contemporaneous accounts of the battle from officers on both sides

Synonyms & Similar Words

• concurrent
• synchronous
• synchronic
• coincident
• contemporary
• simultaneous
• coincidental
• coeval
• coterminous
• accompanying
• coetaneous
• coextensive
• concomitant
• incident
• coexistent
• coexisting
• attending
• attendant

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• asynchronous
• nonsynchronous
• nonsimultaneous
• noncontemporary

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective contemporaneous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of contemporaneous are coeval, coincident, contemporary, simultaneous, and synchronous. While all these words mean "existing or occurring at the same time," contemporaneous is more often applied to events than to people.

contemporaneous accounts of the kidnapping

When is coeval a more appropriate choice than contemporaneous?

While in some cases nearly identical to contemporaneous, coeval refers usually to periods, ages, eras, eons.

two stars thought to be coeval

When can coincident be used instead of contemporaneous?

In some situations, the words coincident and contemporaneous are roughly equivalent. However, 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

Where would contemporary be a reasonable alternative to contemporaneous?

Although the words contemporary and contemporaneous have much in common, contemporary is likely to apply to people and what relates to them.

Abraham Lincoln was contemporary with Charles Darwin

When is it sensible to use simultaneous instead of contemporaneous?

The meanings of simultaneous and contemporaneous largely overlap; however, simultaneous implies correspondence in a moment of time.

the two shots were simultaneous

When would synchronous be a good substitute for contemporaneous?

The words synchronous and contemporaneous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, synchronous implies exact correspondence in time and especially in periodic intervals.

synchronous timepieces

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of contemporaneous

By 2008, per contemporaneous media reports as well as court documents, 22-year-old Casey was still living on and off with her parents, George and Cindy, in Orlando, while habitually engaging in petty theft from her family and friends. —Aja Romano, Vox, 4 Mar. 2025

The investigation revealed that eyewitnesses, texts, and contemporaneous disclosures corroborated the women’s accounts. —Erica Vladimer, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2025

That’s when a British chap named Anthony Ernest Pratt rightly figured there would be demand for a whodunnit parlor distraction that took its cue from the popular, contemporaneous murder-mystery novels by the likes of Agatha Christie. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2025

Then there was family lore accompanied by contemporaneous sources that proved documentable. —Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025