contemporary

1.形容詞B1

釋義

現代；當代

屬於目前這個時代的，具有現代感的

connected with the current era, having the qualities or look of the modern world rather than the past

例句

Rin's kitchen has a clean, contemporary look with white walls and wooden tables.

Rin 的廚房採用白色牆壁和木桌，呈現簡潔現代的風格。

collocation: contemporary look / contemporary design

The gallery focuses on contemporary art made by young artists from Asia.

這間畫廊專注於亞洲年輕藝術家創作的當代藝術作品。

collocation: contemporary art

同義詞

modern
wider meaning; can imply a break from tradition, whereas contemporary simply means 'of the present time'
current
more neutral and factual; lacks the style/character connotation of contemporary
up-to-date
emphasizes inclusion of the latest information or features; more informal than contemporary

反義詞

old-fashioned
belonging to or typical of an earlier time
traditional
following long-established customs rather than modern approaches

文法句型

contemporary + noun

be + contemporary

常見錯誤

❌I bought a contemporary phone yesterday.

✅I bought a new phone yesterday.

💡'contemporary' describes a style or character of being current, not simply 'new' or 'recently purchased.'

❌She wears very contemporary clothes' (for 'fashionable').

✅She wears very fashionable clothes.

💡'contemporary' is about belonging to the present era, not about being trendy or stylish in a temporary way.

2.形容詞B2

釋義

同期；同代

與某個特定歷史時期屬於同一時代的

connected with a particular historical time that another person, object, or event also belongs to — for example, a writer and the society she lived in

例句

Historians study contemporary documents to understand what daily life was like in ancient Rome.

歷史學家透過研究當時的文獻來了解古羅馬的日常生活。

collocation: contemporary documents / contemporary accounts

Shakespeare's plays give readers a picture of contemporary English society and its values.

莎士比亞的戲劇讓讀者得以一窺當時英國社會及其價值觀。

同義詞

coeval
very formal and rare; used mostly in academic writing
coexisting
focuses on existence at the same time rather than cultural/historical belonging

反義詞

earlier
belonging to a previous period
later
belonging to a subsequent period

文法句型

contemporary + noun

contemporary with + noun phrase

用法筆記

The referring historical period must be clearly named or established by context — the sentence cannot use this sense without telling the reader which period is meant. Frequently seen with proper historical names: Victorian, Renaissance, Ming Dynasty, etc.

常見錯誤

❌The contemporary buildings of Paris are beautiful' (meaning 'modern').

✅The contemporary buildings of Napoleon's Paris were designed in the neoclassical style.

💡without naming the period, readers assume the 'modern' meaning.

❌These two writers were contemporary' (adjective for people).

✅These two writers were contemporaries' (noun, plural).

💡for people living at the same time, use the noun form.

1.名詞B2

釋義

同時代的人

與另一人處於同一歷史時期的人

a person who lived or exists in the same historical period as another person, especially a famous or notable figure

例句

Einstein and his contemporaries explored the nature of space and time during the early 1900s.

愛因斯坦和他的同時代人在二十世紀初共同探索時空的奧秘。

pattern: [person] and his/her contemporaries

Jane Austen's contemporaries included other women writers who also published novels about family life.

珍·奧斯汀同時代的其他女性作家也出版過描寫家庭生活的小說。

同義詞

peer
can also mean equal in status; contemporary focuses on time period alone
fellow
more informal and general; lacks the precise historical meaning

文法句型

[person]'s contemporaries

a contemporary of [person]

用法筆記

The person or group used as the reference point must be named or clearly understood from context. Often used in the plural (contemporaries) with a possessive: Mozart and his contemporaries.

常見錯誤

❌My contemporary at work is very helpful' (when you mean 'colleague').

✅My colleague at work is very helpful.

💡'contemporary' means someone from the same time period, not the same workplace.

❌She was a contemporary artist' (meaning 'modern artist').

✅She was a contemporary of Picasso.

💡as a noun, 'contemporary' means 'someone from the same period,' not 'someone who makes modern art.'

2.名詞B1

釋義

同齡；同輩

年齡相近的人

someone who is roughly as old as you — for example, a person who grew up in the same decade or is at a similar stage of life

例句

Tamás enjoys running with his contemporaries from the local sports club.

Tamás 喜歡和當地運動俱樂部裡同齡的人一起跑步。

pattern: [person]'s contemporaries (same age group)

At the conference, Lara found few contemporaries — most attendees were over sixty.

在會議上，Lara 發現幾乎沒有同年紀的人——大多數與會者都超過六十歲。

同義詞

peer
more common in everyday use for age-group; contemporary sounds slightly more formal
age-mate
informal and less common; almost exclusively refers to children or young people

文法句型

[person]'s contemporaries

be contemporaries

用法筆記

Often interchangeable with 'peer' in informal contexts. Unlike noun sense 1 (SAME ERA), this sense does not require a known historical figure as reference — ordinary people's age-group connections are sufficient.

常見錯誤

❌My contemporary and I study in the same class' (when you mean 'classmate').

✅My classmate and I study in the same class.

💡'contemporary' for age is broader than 'classmate'; it refers to anyone of similar age, not just classmates.

contemporary

contemporary — 形容詞

1. connected with the current era, having the qualities or look of the modern world

文法句型

常見錯誤

2. connected with a particular historical time that another person, object, or even

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

contemporary — 名詞

1. a person who lived or exists in the same historical period as another person, es

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

2. someone who is roughly as old as you — for example, a person who grew up in the

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤