Coeval
Noun
- A person of roughly the same age as oneself; a contemporary.
Adjective
- Having the same age or date of origin; contemporary.
Example Sentences
“The substitute teacher found it hard to believe that levelheaded Margaret was a coeval to the rest of the rambunctious class.”
“I’m showing my age; only my coevals will understand that pop culture reference.”
“The geologist displayed rock specimens that were coeval to the suspected meteor activity.”
Word Origin
Latin, early 17th century
Why this word?
“Coeval” developed from the Latin word “coaevus,” a combination of the words “co” (“jointly”) and “aevum” (“age”). People who belong to the same generation are coevals, or roughly the same age. Millennials are coevals born between 1981 and 1996, and the coevals of Gen Z were born between 1997 and 2012.