Ancient
Ancient adjective - Dating or surviving from the distant past.
Usage example: Rome's ancient ruins remain carefully preserved even in the midst of the bustle of the modern city
Contemporary is an antonym for ancient.
Nearby Word: anciently
Contemporary
Contemporary adjective - Being or involving the latest methods, concepts, information, or styles.
Usage example: a magazine devoted to contemporary fashions
Ancient is an antonym for contemporary.
Both words in one sentence
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Paradise Lost is filled to the brim with allusions, intended to be read by an early modern Gentleman Snarker with an extensive library of contemporary and ancient works.
Source: Viewers Are Geniuses - Closer examination of said source material demonstrates that even the contemporary authors themselves were aware of infighting among the ancient Jews.
Source: Dated History - As you might expect, there is a plot-based reason for this: he's a reincarnation of an ancient hero, who speaks several dead languages but no contemporary ones.
Source: Translation Convention
Cite this Source
Contemporary and Ancient. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/ancient/contemporary
Ancient & Contemporary. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/ancient/contemporary>.
Contemporary or Ancient. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/ancient/contemporary.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "ancient" and "contemporary" have occurred on timeline