zeitgenaue

Zeitgenaue is a German adjective meaning up-to-date, contemporary, or current, used to describe things that reflect the present era with fidelity. The term is formed from Zeit (time, era) and genau (precise), and in attributive use it takes the usual inflected endings (for example, eine zeitgenaue Darstellung, zeitgenaue Berichterstattung).

In usage, zeitgenaue emphasizes both timeliness and an accurate capture of current conditions. It is common in discussions of art, design, journalism, and historical reconstruction when a portrayal or artifact is intended to mirror contemporary life rather than a distant past. It is related to, but distinct from, zeitgenössisch, which mainly denotes belonging to the present era or a contemporary movement.

Examples include: eine zeitgenaue Darstellung der Gegenwart in der Kunst; eine zeitgenaue Rekonstruktion historischer Städte; zeitgenaue Berichterstattung, die das aktuelle Geschehen vermittelt.

Translations into English depend on context. Zeitgenaue is usually rendered as contemporary or up-to-date, and can also be translated as timely in phrases that stress current relevance. It is a relatively formal term and is used more in critical or academic discourse than in everyday speech, where words like aktuell or zeitnah are more common.

See also: Zeitgeist, Zeitgenössisch, Aktualität, aktuell, zeitnah.