adj
contemporary
kuhn-TEHM-pruh-ree
adj
1
Belonging to or happening in the present time; modern.
"The museum has a wing devoted to contemporary art."
2
Existing or occurring during the same period as something else.
"Shakespeare was contemporary with Christopher Marlowe."
noun
1
A person who lived or worked during the same time period as someone else.
"Einstein and his contemporaries transformed modern physics."
How to Use Contemporary
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither "happening now / modern" or "from the same time period as something else."
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "contemporaneous," which is more formal and always means "occurring at the same time" rather than "modern."
Easily confused with
contemporaneous
Word Forms
more contemporary comparative, contemporaries plural, most contemporary superlative
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The museum has a wing devoted to _____ art.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin contemporarius, from Latin con- ("together") + temporarius, from tempus ("time").