What does concomitant mean?
"Concomitant" refers to something that naturally accompanies or occurs alongside something else. As a noun, it names the thing that comes along — for example, "Loneliness was a concomitant of old age." As an adjective, it describes something that exists at the same time and is connected to it: "the rise in prices and its concomitant effect on living standards." The word carries a formal register and appears most often in academic writing, medicine, law, and serious journalism, where writers want to signal that one thing reliably follows from another. It implies more than mere coincidence — a concomitant is bound to its companion by nature or necessity. The term derives from Latin roots meaning "to accompany," sharing ancestry with words like "companion" and "accompany." Because it expresses a precise relationship between two things that travel together, it remains a valuable tool for careful, analytical writing about cause, consequence, and association.
A thing that naturally accompanies or is associated with another thing.
"Stress is often a concomitant of a demanding job."
Usually used in the phrase "a concomitant of".
Existing or occurring alongside something else as a natural accompaniment.
"The war brought hunger and its concomitant diseases."
Frequently paired with a preceding noun phrase it qualifies, e.g. "its concomitant risks".
Standard English plural.
"Wealth brings with it many concomitants, not all of them welcome."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of concomitant
Concomitant comes from the Late Latin "concomitari", meaning "to accompany", formed from the prefix "con-" (together) and "comitari" (to accompany), itself derived from "comes", meaning "companion." The word entered English in the early seventeenth century. Its Latin root "com-" relates it to other words built on the idea of going along with someone or something, such as "accompany" and "companion."
How concomitant is actually used
Concomitant is a formal word used mainly in academic, medical, legal, and literary contexts. It sounds somewhat clinical or scholarly in everyday conversation.
Easily confused with concomitant
Contemporaneous means happening at the same time period, while concomitant means accompanying or associated with something as a natural result.