coeval
/kəʊˈiːvl/ (bre, ipa) · /kəʊˈiːvl/ (ame, ipa) · /kō-ˈē-vəl/ (ame, mw) · /kəʊˈiː.vəl/ (bre, ipa) · /koʊˈiː.vəl/ (ame, ipa)
coeval — adjective
- coevalpositive
- more coevalcomparative
- most coevalsuperlative
1. born, formed, or in existence during the same historical period as something or
born, formed, or in existence during the same historical period as something or someone else; matched in age or date of origin.
The cave paintings at Lascaux are roughly coeval with the earliest known stone tools from the region.
be coeval with [noun] for matching historical dates
Christopher argued that the oak beams in the chapel ceiling are coeval with the foundations below.
comparing parts of the same structure for shared age
The astronomer noted that those two distant stars appear to be coeval, having formed in the same cosmic cloud.
Many bronze tools found near the river are coeval with the pottery shards Aoi unearthed last summer.
Roman roads coeval with the empire's expansion still lie buried under modern fields in Britain.
- contemporaneous
closest formal synonym; equally academic but slightly more common in historical writing
- contemporary
broader and more everyday; can mean 'modern' as well as 'of the same era', so context decides
- concurrent
focuses on overlap in time, often shorter spans (events, processes), not eras
- synchronous
technical register; emphasises precise simultaneity, often in science or technology
- anachronistic
describes something out of its proper time period
- later
plain everyday opposite when one thing post-dates another
文法句型
be coeval with [noun]
coeval [plural noun]
用法筆記
Almost always paired with 'with' to name the second thing being matched in date. Subjects are typically physical artefacts, geological features, or historical phenomena — not people in casual contexts (use 'the same age' instead).
常見錯誤
coeval — noun
- coevalsingular
- coevalsplural
1. a person or thing that was born, made, or came into being at roughly the same ti
a person or thing that was born, made, or came into being at roughly the same time as another, often discussed alongside that other for comparison.
The poet Selim was a coeval of several painters who shared his fascination with desert light.
a coeval of [person] for naming a peer in the same era
Among her coevals at the university, Maeve was the first to publish a book on medieval law.
[possessive] coevals for naming peers within a group
This medieval manuscript and its coevals in the abbey library all use the same iron-gall ink.
Nia spent years researching one Jacobean playwright and the playwright's coevals in London taverns.
- contemporary
by far the more common everyday noun for someone of the same era
- peer
emphasises equal status rather than equal age; not restricted to the same period
文法句型
a coeval of [person/thing]
[possessive] coeval
用法筆記
Often appears in academic or literary writing about historical figures, artists, or artefacts. The plural 'coevals' is far more common than the singular, since the word usually names a group of peers being compared.