Contemporaneously

Contemporaneously is an adverb meaning existing or occurring at the same time, or during the same period. It is often used to describe events, actions, or records that share temporal alignment with one another.

Usage and nuance

Contemporaneously frequently appears in formal, academic, or legal writing. It can modify verbs directly, as in “The two announcements were made contemporaneously,” or be paired with with to specify the simultaneity more clearly, as in “the diary entries were recorded contemporaneously with the events.” The term emphasizes simultaneity in time rather than sequence or causation, and is sometimes preferred when precise or documented time alignment matters.

Distinctions

Contemporaneous is the related adjective meaning existing at the same time. While contemporaneously and concurrently both convey a sense of simultaneity, contemporaneously tends to focus on the timing of actions or records themselves, whereas concurrently often describes parallel processes or activities occurring at the same moment, potentially without direct coordination.

Etymology

Contemporaneously derives from contemporaneous, which comes from Latin contemporaneus, from con- “together” and tempus “time.” The -eous form became the base adjective, with -ly creating the adverb.

See also

Contemporaneous, con contemporaneo usage, simultaneity, synchronously.